Troubled Mind
by Queen-of-the-Saps
Summary: AU, or is it? Follow Raven's story as she wakes up in a totally new world where everyone is. . . normal.
1. Zan Axe

Disclaimer: Me no ownee.  
Summary: AU, or is it? Follow Raven's story as she wakes up in a totally new world where everyone is. . . normal.

**Troubled Mind**  
—Zan Axe—  
ONE

What would you do if one day you woke to an entirely new world? One where everyone you knew was so incredibly different, that you could barely recognize them. One where the people you hold most dear told you that everything you once knew about life was a _lie_. You are probably thinking that it could never happen to you. But you are wrong. I know this because it happened to _me. _My name is Rachel Roth, and this is my story.

—

"Mmm. . ." She rolled over in her sleep towards the warmer part of the Queen sized bed. She snuggled next to it, savoring the warmth as sleep gradually drifted away from her. When the heat source shifted, however, she became fully alert. She sat up in the bed and looked to her left. There it was, or rather, there _he_ was. A shirtless boy in his late teens, nineteen perhaps, with messy black hair, a well-conditioned physique, and crystal blue eyes staring back at her. But who?

"G'morning, babe." He said in a familiar voice to her and kissed her cheek. When she didn't respond, but sat there rather stupidly, instead, he began to worry. "Are you feeling okay, Rachel?"

That definitely got her attention and she realized who this was. "Robin? Is that you?"

"I think we've known each other long enough that you don't have to call me by that old nickname." He told her with a smile and leaned in to kiss her mouth. She didn't have enough time to react and avoid it. Instead, she felt as if she would melt by the love he was giving to her. She could feel it, but not empathically. She felt a blush creep up on her as the kiss lingered and intensified. Finally, they parted for air. "Aww, how sweet. You're blushing."

"I am not!" Rachel insisted and looked away.

He just chuckled and slightly shook his head. "Well, Mrs. Dick Grayson," He leaned forward and pecked her lips once. "we better get ready for class or we'll be late." Robin, or rather Dick, got out of the bed on his side and walked over to the other side of the room to grab some fresh clothes out of various drawers. He eventually went into the bathroom and she heard the sound of the shower's running water shortly thereafter.

_Mrs.? I'm _married_? And to _him_? Okay, okay. Calm down, Raven. There must be a reasonable explanation to all of this. Maybe some villain transferred me to an alternative universe where I am a college student. Or maybe they are playing a trick on me. And boy, I am so Punk'd. _Raven looked around and walked over to the window. She looked out and saw no ocean, no city, but instead park-like scenery from a second story view. Where in the world was she?_ I need to get back. . . The city's defenseless without all of us there and I bet they are worried. And how in the world did Ro— _Dick_ know my real name? I wonder how the others are doing. . ._

After a long pause at the window and a sigh, Rachel decided to dig through the drawers for some clothes and get out of her pajamas. After looking through three drawers she found some snug tees that would fit her. She pulled out a black tee that had "Sarcasm is just one more free service we offer" on the front in white. She dug through the drawers again until she found new underwear and dark blue jeans. As she changed she found a mirror in one of the corners of the room. _Since when was my hair long and black? And I have dark blue eyes and creamy skin. Maybe it's this world. Maybe I was sent to a different dimension!_ Rachel thought about different possibilities until she thought she would pull her black hair out. Instead, she put her pajamas in the wash basket and changed before exiting their room to explore the rest of the house. _I have a bad feeling about this. . ._

Rachel entered a hallway with two doors on each side, hers on the end, and stairs at the other end. She peered into each door as she passed them. One was incredibly pink, on the opposite side was another room that was horrifyingly messy. Down a little ways was one so filled with computers and electronic devices there was hardly room for a bed. _Does this mean that Star, BB, and Cy are here, as well?_ There was one more door to look through. Raven felt anxious as she walked closer to it. _Is Terra actually alive?_ She was relieved (as to why she wasn't sure) to find that it was only a bathroom.

Finally, Raven walked down the stairs that led to the front door. She turned right and kept walking down the hallway until she came into the simple kitchen where a black man was making waffles. "Hiya Rae, want some waffles?" He asked as he turned around. As she had thought earlier, it was Cyborg, only 100 human and with hair.

"Of course she does, Vic. Why did you even ask?" She turned to a pale Caucasian boy with blond hair and blue eyes. He looked a little younger than her, maybe seventeen or eighteen._ This can't be. . . _And then she saw his elf ears._ It is! It's Beast Boy before he was green. _"Hey, how about another slice of bacon, my friend." Rachel's eyes about bulged out of their sockets. _Beast Boy. . . eating _meat? She thought for a moment. _Well, I guess it makes sense because he doesn't turn into animals, so he wouldn't be concerned about eating them._

Vic answered him about the bacon. "No can do, Gar. You have to make it yourself."_ So, his name is Gar. . ._

"You seem awfully quiet this morning, Rae. Are you feeling alright?" A tall girl with long ruby hair and pretty green eyes told her. _Must be human Star. _"Oh! Silly me. You haven't had your coffee this morning. I'll go get it for you." _I wonder what her name is in this crazy world._

"I already started the coffee maker, Kori." Said Vic. _Kori. . . _"Here are my famous waffles, Rae. Eat up." _He seems calmer than when he was a Titan._

"Thanks, Vic." Rachel said to him as she sat down at the table where her waffles were sitting._ Better to just play along. _She decided. "So, anyone heard of the Teen Titans?"

"No, what songs do they play?" Gar said in a totally serious manner. He wasn't joking.

"They aren't a band, Gar." Rachel told him in-between bites of her waffles. "They're super heroes."

"I didn't know you were into comics, Rae." Kori said while giving Rachel her big mug of coffee and then brought over French Vanilla creamer and sugar. Rachel tried her best not to look disgusted at the mug. _Coffee, seriously? I was hoping they were just joking. _

"I'm not. I'm saying the Teen Titans are real. There's Robin who is the leader, Raven is second-in-command,"

"Robin and Raven? Are they _all_ named after birds?" Gar asked in a skeptical tone.

"No, just the two of them. Then there's Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. They protected Jump City from criminals like Dr. Light, Control Freak, Brother Blood, the HIVE-Five, and Robin's arch enemy Slade." Rachel tried to keep things light and airy, instead of let them know that she was trying to verify her existence as Raven.

"So what kind of powers did these five have?" Vic asked, clearly interested.

"Well, Robin is human, so his power is his mind, his martial arts, and his gadgets. Raven, on the other hand, is only half-human through her mother. She was born on another planet called Azarath and raised by monks. Her powers are flight, telekinesis or levitation, teleportation, empathy, and she also has some small healing abilities." Rachel told them while monitoring their reactions. Maybe she wasn't the only one sent to this dimension and all they needed was something to jog their memories.

She continued. "Cyborg is also half-human. In an accident before he met the other Titans, he was critically injured. He lost half of his body, and it was replaced by cybernetics. He has super strength because of it, can analyze different substances with his cybernetic parts, and has a sonic cannon that his hand transforms into." Cyborg looked keenly interested, but she could see no sparks of recognition in his eyes.

She turned to Gar. "Beast Boy can transform into animals. But the thing is, he is all green. His eyes, his hair, his skin; all green. So when he turns into animals, they are green, too. And finally," she turned to face Kori, "Starfire. She is an alien princess from the planet Tamaran. She has super strength, even greater than Cyborg's, has the ability of flight, and can shoot lasers from her hands and eyes."

"Wow, Rae. You've had some pretty bizarre dreams, but that one takes the cake." Said a familiar voice and she turned around. Dick was there, drying his hair with a tower.

"What makes you think it was a dream?" She asked.

"I've read comic books since I was a young child, and I have never even _heard_ of the Teen Titans. It must have been a dream, Rae. You've been having some really weird ones lately."

"No! It was real. It has to have been. It— it can't be not real. It just can't be." Then, Rachel did something she never thought she would do. She cried. About that time her other four roommates decided it was time for a doctor's visit.

—Fin—

A/N: Wow, finally got this one out. I thought it was cute. Now I just have to figure out a plotline! How fun. . . Well, review. I want to know what you think. And yeah, I know Kori, Gar, and Vic don't have personalities, yet. "Yet" is the key word. I'll work on that.

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	2. Lor A Zepamm

Disclaimer: I do not own Rachel or Dick.

**Troubled Mind**  
—Lor A. Zepamm—  
TWO

"I don't need to see a shrink and I mean it, Dick!" Rachel stood facing her 'husband' with the couch in-between them. Like a childish game, whenever Dick would go to the right to try to get closer to her, Rachel would go right, as well. She always made sure that they were on opposite sides of the couch. "I know what I saw! The Titans. . . they are real. They— they have to be!" Rachel yelled to release her pent-up emotions, meanwhile allowing Dick to catch her by the arm.

"Rae. . ." Dick started, only to be interrupted by her.

"Let go of me! I won't let you turn me in to a psycho ward!" She screamed at Dick, trying to shake his firm grip at the same time. It didn't work.

"Rachel!" Dick screamed her name to get her attention. She looked at him in response with distrusting eyes. But at least she was going to let him talk, right? "Rae, I"m not sending you to a psychiatric ward." He said calmly. "I would never do that and I won't. You have my promise on that." His once firm grasp on her arm loosened as he felt her relax the muscles in her body.

Rachel looked down. Of course Dick wouldn't do that. Robin would never abandon his teammates. _Ever_. He even went to the pits of Hell for her. He loved her. And he would never want to let her go. This other Robin, Dick, was the same. "Okay." She finally said and looked up to meet his eyes.

"Rae. . . you're sick. You need help. I know you don't want it, but we need to get through this together." Dick smiled at her and Rachel knew there was no avoiding the situation at hand. She wasn't one for giving up, but she knew a fight she could not win when she saw one. "There is a doctor I know close by. She treated a few relatives and specializes with cases similar to ours."

_Ours? Since when did this involve him? He's devoted, that's for sure. _Rachel thought. _Maybe I never knew the real Robin. He never let down his guard. And, now that I think about it, neither did I. That made it hard for us to really get to know each other. We got along, sure, but did we ever_ really _talk? This might be an opportunity to get to know him._ "Okay." She said and it threw Dick aback for a moment. "I'll go see this shrink." Dick's eyes lit up for a moment until he saw a finger wagging in his face. _"But," _she continued, "only if you come and I have the opportunity to leave at any moment during the appointment."

"Of course." Dick said, thankful it went over so well. He sighed in relief before speaking. "Okay, I'll go schedule an appointment." He released her arm completely and leaned in to kiss her temple. Rachel blushed as his lips touched her skin. Never in her reality would Robin — nor anyone — be so intimate with her. But, the question was, is that a bad thing?

_**Later that week. . . **_

"C'mon, Rachel! We haveta go!" Dick yelled through the bathroom door. "We're going to be late, ya know. . ." He said, knowing how much they both — her especially — hated the humiliation of being late.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Rachel yelled back before she opened the bathroom door. She was wearing a regular black tee that said 'Stop Global Whining' and dark blue jeans. However, there was something different about her today that hadn't been there the last couple of days. And then it came to Dick. She was wearing black eyeliner and purple lip gloss. Ever since she hadn't been herself, she hadn't worn any makeup at all. This was a change. But why?

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Rae, but this doctor is a girl." Dick half-jokingly said.

"I'm not wearing makeup to impress a doctor!" Rachel was offended. "I merely want to show my sanity."

"How does makeup equal sanity?" Dick asked her, curious to find out what thought process led to this equation. That was one thing he loved about her, after all. She was an enigma most of the time and he wanted to devote every moment of his life to figure her out.

"Even detective Grayson can't get this one?" Rachel teased him.

"Oh, now this is personal!" Dick teased Rachel back. _At least she's happy today._ He thought optimistically.

"It's simple, Sherlock. Most girls my age do it. So, to prove I am 'in the norm', I'll do it, too." Rachel explained to him slowly like he was stupid. Again, teasing.

"If it makes you happy, then I'm fine with it. Now, it would make _me_ happy if we left." Dick said practically pulling her through their bedroom door and into the hallway with Rachel laughing.

_**In the waiting room. . . **_

"Could they give us any more paperwork?" Rachel complained as she started on her sixth page of questions and background information. More than half of which she could not answer and Dick filled in for her.

"Just be happy, Rae. Doctor Quill is working overtime just to see you." Dick told his wife reassuringly as he checked Rachel's 'completed' fifth page. He was changing some of her answers and filling in what she left blank because Rachel had no memories previous to four days ago when she woke up. "And it usually takes a month or more to get an appointment." He added. "It's a good thing she's a family friend."

Rachel frowned at his words. _Do I _really_ need help? Or, at least, _that_ badly? Maybe Dick is going just a little overboard by taking me to a shrink that handles 'special cases'. I'm not crazy!_ And then, the door opened. "Grayson" was called by a middle-aged woman with glasses, and before Rachel knew it, she was being herded by her husband through the door and into a small office.

"It's been a while, Doctor Quill." Dick greeted the doctor and shook her hand.

"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Sarah?" She said with a pleasant smile. "Please sit down."

"Okay, Sarah." Dick said with an equally pleasant smile as he gestured to the two seats before a large cherry wood desk. Rachel sat down next to Dick and immediately felt like she was before a judge and had no idea how to act.

"Now, please tell me why you brought your wife in, Richard." Sarah brought out a large notepad and pen to take notes on whatever was to come out of Dick's mouth. Rachel was miffed that this doctor asked _Dick_ and not _her_ about why they scheduled an appointment so urgently. However, Rachel said nothing. Instead she waited to see how her husband handled this.

"Sure." Dick said after a long sigh. "It started about four days ago. Rachel woke up in our bed like usual, but barely recognized me. She thinks that Kori, Gar, Vic, and myself were super heroes called the Teen Titans alongside her in a town called Jump City here in California. As both you and I know, Sarah, Jump City does not exist, nor any super heroes called the Teen Titans. I even checked various comic book sites and Googled Jump City. I didn't get any confirmations that either one existed. She has no memory of reality previous to four days ago. Please. . . help her in any way you can."

Sarah scribbled a few more notes after Dick stopped talking before looking up from her notepad directly at Rachel. "Do you agree with everything Richard just said?" She asked Rachel.

"Yes. I have a full memory span of the Titans; just not of this world." Rachel stopped speaking for a moment and was trying to find the right words. Sarah continued looking at her patiently and waited. "I think one of the super villains we face frequently sent me here. And, in exchange, the Rachel you know was sent to my universe. Unfortunately, she is probably learning to control my powers which is a very difficult thing to do."

"Tell me, why were your powers so hard to control?" Sarah asked Rachel as she scribbled some more in her notepad.

"When I was Raven, I had powers of the dark. I could use dark energy as a shield or use it to telekinetically move objects. I could fly and heal injuries. And the reason I went by Raven is because of my soul-self. It is part of my soul that can leave my body, but it is in the form of a gigantic raven. But, you see, my emotions fuel my powers. So, in order to successfully control and use my powers, I need to be as stoic as possible. This keeps my powers in check and allows the safety of my friends. From what I can discern, your Rachel sounds like a happy, free-spirited person. But I just can't do that. . . I've trained for my entire life to be emotionless. I'm sorry I can't be the person you want me to be." Rachel finally finished speaking and couldn't look at Sarah. She felt Dick's hand on her shoulder, offering support.

"I have never seen anything like this before." Sarah admitted and took off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. "Rachel, you wouldn't happen to know a blonde, blue-eyed girl who used to be a Titan, would you?"

Rachel answered immediately. "Oh." She said flatly. "You mean Terra? The back-stabbing traitor? That girl tried to kill us all!"

Sarah immediately looked to Dick and asked, "Would either you or Rachel happen to know a Tara Markov?" She gulped before continuing. "Please consider this thoroughly. I think my sanity depends on it."

—Fin—

A/N: I think I just figured out a very interesting plot line. Sorry this took so long to come out. And I know I should be working on / updating "Amongst the Quiet" and "I Love You, Nevermore", but this idea popped into my head while I was on vacation and I couldn't help but go with it. I think most people know where this is going. . . any more ideas?

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	3. Al Prozalamb

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans!

Troubled Mind

—Al Prozalamb—

THREE

"_I have never seen anything like this before." Sarah admitted and took off her glasses to rub the bridge of her nose. "Rachel, you wouldn't happen to know a blonde, blue-eyed girl who used to be a Titan, would you?"_

_Rachel answered immediately. "Oh." She said flatly. "You mean Terra? The back-stabbing traitor? That girl tried to kill us all!"_

_Sarah immediately looked to Dick and asked, "Would either you or Rachel happen to know a Tara Markov?" She gulped before continuing. "Please consider this thoroughly. I think my sanity depends on it."_

—

"What does Tara Markov have to do with our situation?" Dick asked Sarah Quill in bewilderment and curiosity.

Sarah took a deep breath before continuing. Her eyes were serious and fixated on Dick. "Please just answer the question." She simply said, however, her voice was tense and was that a hint of fear?

"Yeah, I did." Dick answered. "_If _we're talking about the same girl; she was Gar's old girlfriend. He dumped her about a year ago because she just wasn't the same person."

"I was hoping that _wasn't _the case." Sarah ran a hand through her hair and sighed with her eyes closed. "Have you seen her since Gar broke up with her?"

"No, I haven't." Dick answered immediately. His mental cogs were at work, but he couldn't figure out the connection between Tara and Rachel. He hadn't seen anything or heard from Tara since Gar dumped her. It was like she ceased to exist. How did she know Sarah? _Why _did she know Sarah? It was puzzling because of the lack of information, but with Detective Grayson on the case, he _would _find the answers he was seeking!

"I don't doubt it." Sarah said. "She's been in a mental facility for nearly eleven months, now."

"A mental facility? Why?" He asked her. Things were getting serious. What exactly had happened to her? Did she go crazy because Gar dumped her or something? What could have happened to her that she would have to be there for _eleven months_?

"So, basically, you're telling us she's like me?" Rachel asked Sarah surprisingly calm. Dick looked at his wife by his side before slowly turning his head back to Sarah. No, it couldn't be. . . Could it?

"Yes. Exactly like you." Sarah looked at Rachel for the second time in their discussion. "Jump City, being with the Teen Titans, and going against them. All of it's the same. So if this is some insane joke, please stop it already!" Sarah spoke very fast and became more angry by the end of her rant.

Dick looked offended. "Sarah, do you _really _think I would do that to you?" She exhaled and shook her head as a 'no'. "I think we should talk with her. Which mental facility can we find her in?"

"She's in Twin Oaks Hospital." She told the couple. "There's a psychiatric section in the west wing. However, visiting her is by appointment only. Most people can't get in; only family and doctors." Sarah sighed before continuing. "I'll see what I can do. I check up on her every Monday."

"We're counting on you, Sarah." Dick told her as he looked at Rachel. "Maybe talking to Tara will give us a clue about what we need to do." Rachel nodded. She knew what he meant. She had been nothing but trouble since she entered this strange world and came into Dick's life. He wanted to get his wife back. His _real _wife back. And, although the others were nice and friendly, Rachel missed her old way of life. She missed being a superhero and not just some college student who did nothing for the community around her.

"I'll contact you as soon as I can get the two of you in." Sarah told them with firm determination. "Getting the two of you together will hopefully solve this case. I know Tara is sick of being there. She hates it to be honest and has so much anger pent up inside. I hope you never become like her, Rachel." Sarah said and before they knew it their session with Doctor Sarah Quill was over.

—

"So, how did the doctor's visit turn out?" Vic hesitantly asked Dick more than Rachel as the couple sat down on some stools in the kitchen. Vic looked at Dick as he looked down and didn't answer. Rachel, on the other hand, looked the most at peace he had seen her since. . . well, since she was the "new" Rachel. She heard Dick sigh before she responded to Vic's question. "Well, Dick learned I'm not insane." She said nonchalantly, but the two boys in the kitchen knew she was ticked off at him.

"I never said that, Rachel." He told her as calmly as he could. He was frustrated. He was hoping that Doctor Sarah Quill could help him get his wife back. But, as he learned during their session, there wasn't a magical cure. He would have to work and use all his detective abilities to solve this case and save her.

"Did you honestly think that she could give me some pills and poof! I'd be a different person?" Rachel asked him as she crossed her arms and looked at him. Dick, however, would not look her in the face.

"Well, yes. That was the point of taking you to a psychiatrist." Dick said as he gestured widely. He was as agitated at her as she was at him. "She deals with those who need—" He started but was cut off by Rachel.

"Dick. This is _me. _You may not believe this, but I am a real person." She made eye contact with him as she continued. "I'm just not the one you want me to be." She told him with sad and hurt eyes before turning around and left the kitchen.

"Smooth, man." Vic said sarcastically as he watched Rachel walk off tensely, but sighed when he saw the helpless look on his friend's face. "Now, let's hear the details." He finally told Dick. He didn't want the two of them to break up over something like this. They needed to get through it _together_.

"Okay." Dick said before looking at him as Vic sat down next him. "Most of this has to do with Tara Markov." He told him as seriously as he could to show Vic he wasn't joking.

"Gar's old girlfirend?" Questioned Vic. "What could she have to do with Rachel's prob— um, I mean, predicament?" He corrected himself. It wasn't fair to Rachel to say she had a 'problem'. She was just ill. Right?

"I wondered the same thing when Doctor Sarah Quill brought it up." Dick admitted. "However, Tara is the one person Rachel remembers. They both only have memories of that place Rachel told us about. Jump City I think she said was the name."

"No." Vic's eyes grew large and he could barely believe his ears. "How is that possible? Do you think it actually exists?" He asked Dick as he lowered his voice. It was true he didn't believe what Rachel said was right, but should he change his mind?

"No. That isn't physically possible. She couldn't have been magically transferred from another dimension! That goes beyond all logic and proportion. It breaks all the laws of Physics." Dick shot down any doubts in Vic's mind with firm reasoning.

"Then what is going on?" Vic asked in pure bewilderment. Gar broke up with Tara because she started acting different. Was she really the same as Rachel? If so, how? How could two people who never had much contact change their personalities and habits overnight at two different times? This all was so crazy!

"I don't know, Vic." Dick rubbed his temples. He was starting to develop a headache from all this thinking about what had happened over the course of half a week. He felt like he would go crazy if this continued much longer. "Doctor Sarah Quill said she would get us an appointment to see Tara Markov as soon as she could."

"What do you mean an appointment?" Vic asked and didn't receive an answer. "Where is she? We haven't seen her in over a year." This was getting serious and Vic was starting to get slightly scared from the possible answers he needed to know.

Dick sighed again before responding. "She's in Twin Oaks Hospital's psychiatric section and has been for nearly the entire year we haven't seen her." He said sullenly. As much as he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with this new Rachel; he didn't want her to end up like Tara, either.

"Good Lord. . ." Was all Vic could say. He got up after a moment of silence and patted his best friend on the shoulder. "I sincerely hope all goes well with you two." He told Dick before walking to his room. They both had a lot to think about.

—Fin—

A/N: Okay, I finally finished this chappie! Sorry it took so long. I hope somebody is still reading this fanfic because it is gonna get really good soon! You'll meet Tara Markov and then something unexpected will happen.

Signed,

Her Sappiness


	4. Ben Zodiazepine

Disclaimer: Nope.

Troubled Mind

—Ben Zodiazepine—

FOUR

"X'Hal!" Was heard as everyone in the house woke up as the sun was rising. There were groans of disapproval and annoyance as each person got up out of bed to see what was so wrong with Kori that she would scream out made-up phrases that early in the morning. The first one to reach her room was Vic since his room was just across the hall. As he opened her door, he saw her jumping up and down. "Why can I not fly?" She asked no one. Vic only raised his eyebrow to that phrase and entered. Kori at once stopped jumping as she laid eyes on him. She looked at him peculiarly for a few moments as the others began to shuffle in. Before anyone could speak, however, she at once flung herself into Vic's arms. "Friend Cyborg! It is most wondrous that you have recovered your original appearance once more!"

"Friend Cyborg?" Vic looked at her strangely as she looked at Dick with wide eyes. "Friend Robin!" She ran up to him and continued speaking with urgency. "Why are you not mask-ed? Your identity could be known if someone were to see you."

"Kori, that is not funny in the least." Dick said to her coldly. "But Friend Rob—" She started, but was cut off by Dick. "Just stop it! This insane joke has gone far enough." She bit her lip after she heard his words and looked down as if to cry. She did not quite understand what was going on, but she decided "Friend Robin" wanted her to be quiet. And so she would not question him. He was in a bad mood this morning.

"Kori?" Gar got her attention and was going to try to lighten the mood since she looked awfully sullen.

"How do you know part of my name?" She asked a little shaken up and confused, but sincere. "I told you all the English translation of my name. I never told you my Tamaranean name was Koriand'r."

"So it _is _you, Starfire." Said an almost joyous and relieved voice from the doorway. Kori, as well as everyone else, looked over to see Rachel lingering in the doorway with a gentle smile. It was a smile the three boys had not seen before. Rachel walked over to Kori and hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you, Star!"

"Friend Raven?" Rachel stepped back from embracing her and nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Is it the _real _you?" Kori asked and Rachel wondered what exactly she meant by that.

"Yes, it's me. I know I don't look like it, but _I'm _Raven. I can't be anyone else." She said and Dick knew the last sentence was meant for him. Could he accept her? Should he stop looking for possibilities to get his wife back?

"Glorious!" Kori said and clapped her hands like a child. "You have been recovered! I am most joyous, but I cannot fly. . ." She ended on a sad note. She missed flight as much as Raven missed her old life. And that was a lot.

"What do you mean 'recovered'?" Rachel asked Kori, but before she could respond, Rachel's eyes opened in realization. "Don't tell me Rachel is in Jump!"

"How did you know?" Kori asked. "One day you woke up, but it wasn't you." Gar's and Vic's eyes opened up as Kori continued to talk. However, Dick was too stubborn to listen and believe. This was just a joke. It had to be! But why? What would Kori gain by doing this? "She said her name was Rachel and she was very scared by your room."

"But did she have my abilities?" Rachel asked urgently.

Kori shook her head. "She does not have your abilities. She has stayed at the Tower with us. We are trying to protect her until we could find a way to get you back." Kori paused, uncomfortable by the three boys staring at her. "Where are we, Friend Raven?"

"We're in what everyone calls 'reality'. It's Earth, but Jump City doesn't exist; neither does Gotham, or Steel City, or Tamaran, or any super heroes. As you know already, our abilities didn't come with us. I know it's strange, Starfire. I struggled with the same feeling." Rachel sighed. "I really don't know how we got here. I woke up one morning about a week ago and I was here."

Kori looked sad. "I miss our friends already."

Rachel tried to smile to help her friend be more comfortable. "They're right here, Star." Rachel said as she pointed to the three boys. "Cyborg is known as 'Vic' here, Beast Boy is known as 'Gar', and Robin is known as 'Dick'. See? We're all here." Rachel told her and Kori smiled again. Then Rachel hesitantly spoke once more. "Oh, um, and Terra's here, too." She said softly.

Kori's eyes widened in disbelief and then she understood. "That is why Friend Terra is no longer a statue in the cave. She has been taken here!" She put her hand by her mouth in astonishment.

"Bingo." Rachel said. "And Dick and I are going to see her today, actually. I think you should come, too."

Kori looked at Rachel and then at Dick in confusion. "Why is it only you and Friend Ro— Dick?" Rachel looked down for a few moments before speaking. She really didn't want to do this to her best friend. Starfire had always loved Robin. Of course she'd still feel the same way about his other self.

Rachel inhaled and exhaled before speaking. "That's because the Rachel you meet in Jump and Dick are married." She closed her eyes and waited for Kori's reaction. "Oh," Kori replied almost unbelievingly after the initial shock dissipated. "So you are together now. I knew this would happen one day. But I did not think he would leave me so soon." At that, a tear slipped down Kori's cheek but did not go unnoticed by the other four in the room.

It tore Rachel up inside to be the cause of her friend's misery. Especially when it was something she couldn't mend. Why did everything have to be so complicated in this world?!

"I'm going back to sleep," said Dick with a yawn. "Maybe if I do that I'll wake up from this crazy dream." He shook his head and left the room. _He'll never believe me, will he? _Rachel thought sadly.

"Are you going to be okay, Kori?" Gar asked in concern. He had seen Kori go through a lot of emotions, but he had never seen her shed a tear. Besides, this new development with Kori would be difficult. It was hard enough with just Rachel. Hopefully their meeting with Tara would be for the better.

Kori nodded her head. "I will be fine. I am just hurt." She sat down on her bed and Rachel sat down next to her. "I'll stay with you, Star." She said, so Vic and Gar thought it would be best to leave the two of them alone. They left Kori's bedroom and closed the door so the two girls could have some privacy and hopefully settle some issues.

—

Later that same day, Dick woke up on the couch (since Rachel had claimed the bed) to find that the insanity was reality. He did not have a crazy dream. Well, he could still be dreaming, he thought and partially hoped. Instead, him, Rachel, and Kori were walking down the hospital hallway to the psychiatric section in the west wing of Twin Oaks Hospital.

After being cleared and passing through the double white doors, they found the mentally and emotionally ill lounging all over the commons area on the few couches and chairs located there. They spotted Doctor Sarah Quill in a back corner there and walked over to her. She looked at the three of them peculiarly. "I thought it would be just you and Rachel, Dick. I was not aware of another."

"Let's just say the insanity hasn't stuck with just Rachel." He said as he rubbed a hand through his gelled hair while sighing. He got an evil look from Rachel and he noticed Kori looked confused by his choice of wording.

"Oh, good god. Not another one." Sarah muttered under her breath, but still loud enough for Rachel to hear. Rachel had to fight not to say anything back but could not help but narrow her eyes and glare at the doctor for a few moments. "Well, let's go see Tara." Sarah said while ignoring Rachel's glare.

"Let's just go and get this over with." Dick said as he sighed again. He was exhausted from this whole situation physically, mentally, and emotionally. He just wanted life to go back to the way it was. Why did this situation have to happen to him? He hadn't even celebrated his first anniversary with his wife, yet!

They walked over to Tara Markov's room and entered after knocking. As soon as Tara saw Dick she stiffened. Then she saw Rachel and started to breathe in and out heavily. Kori came last, but Tara was focused on the leader and second-in-command of the team she had betrayed and even died saving. Although, she was sure they remembered her betrayal more than her sacrifice. Well, that is, if they remembered her at all.

"What are you guys doing _here_?" Tara asked tensely.

"Let's just say you are not alone in this strange world, Terra." Said Rachel. "Starfire and I are stuck here, too." Tara's eyes widened at that statement. So they _did _remember.

"And Robin?" Tara asked as she nervously looked over at Dick. Even though Robin had joined Slade and became his apprentice as well, he never understood her or gave her a chance. He always seemed to be the one against her the most. Even more than Raven.

"Nope." Rachel responded and Tara visibly relaxed. "This is Dick. He's just tagging along today since he doesn't even believe his own wife." Dick flushed in embarrassment and looked away from her. Not only were those words hurtful and embarrassing in front of others, but that was also the first time she said anything about them being married. Dick was wondering if she had started to accept it. Should he, also?

"So does this mean you believe me now, Doctor Quill?" Tara looked at her in frustration. "I'm not crazy like those other people and you _know _it."

The doctor just sighed. "I don't know what to believe anymore. This whole case is so mind boggling. It goes beyond all logic and doesn't seem possible."

"But it _did _happen." Rachel said. "The three of us are stranded here in this world. Believe me; if we had a choice, we'd be in our own world rather than be bugging you with our 'problem' here." She continued bitterly.

"But I can leave, now, right?" Tara asked her with hope in her eyes.

"Where would you go, Tara?" Doctor Quill tried to reason with her. "You have no family, no job, no place to go. Most of your inheritance has been spent to keep you here."

"And whose fault is that?" Tara said while looking straight at Doctor Sarah Quill. "Tell me, who has kept me with these mentally ill people like I was insane, too?" She narrowed her eyes and kept talking while gesturing wildly. "I was forced to come to you for help, but did you help me? No! You _never _helped me. You tried putting me on all different kinds of meds and had me go through different procedures to see what would happen. I was merely an experiment to you! Well, now that I've been proven not guilty of being insane, what will you do with me?" She asked in spite. She really hated being there.

"There is no reason to just keep you here while two others are free." Sarah Quill said and Tara exhaled in relief. She, as well as the other three in the room, did not expect what came next. "I'll have to keep all three of you here for observation. This case is far from over." She said unemotionally. She was totally serious.

"I am not going to be chained up like a—" Rachel began to say, but was interrupted by Dick. "That's not fair, Sarah!" He said outraged. "I will _not _allow that." He said firmly with his fists clenched. Rachel would've continued to rant and protest, but was surprised by Dick's words._ Why would he stand up for me? Doesn't he think of me as a problem?_ She gasped at what he said next. "I will not let you do that to my wife. I keep my promises." Rachel noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. _What is he saying? Has he really accepted me? _Then she remembered his words from the day she went to first see Doctor Sarah Quill: _"Rae, I'm not sending you to a psychiatric ward. I would never do that and I won't. You have my promise on that." _

The doctor just looked back at him and he could tell she was upset that he had dismissed what she said so readily. "You do realize I can override anything you say with a doctor's order?"

"I won't let you take her away. Yes, there is a problem, but we can fix or at least learn to deal with it with or without you." Sarah Quill narrowed her eyes at Dick. Rachel had never seen him so passionate about anything or anyone in the short time she had been in this world. She saw in him the part of Robin that would not let anything get in-between him and his friends. And then she thought of something she never would have expected to be in her thoughts. _Maybe this is my chance. I mean, I don't have to worry about everyone's safety; I can feel emotions freely. We are already married, so maybe we could be a couple. A _normal _couple who do not have to worry about anything in the world. . ._ And then she smiled.

"What exactly do you plan on doing?" Sarah asked Dick calmly knowing full well she could be out of a job very quickly if this conversation elevated any more. She knew Dick's foster father Bruce Wayne was a very influential and wealthy man who was particularly soft when it came to Dick. He could and would do almost anything Dick asked of him. He had even provided a fully-paid house for Dick, his new wife, and three of their friends so they could go to college together.

"I'm getting Tara out." Dick stated and Tara looked at him almost at the point of tears_. Is this what it means to be forgiven? _Tara wondered. "She doesn't need _your _help anymore." Dick continued before looking at the two girls accompanying him. "Come on, let's go sign those release forms. She can live with us for the meantime." Kori and Rachel agreed each with a smile on her face. This was the right thing to do. All three of them knew it. Tara had suffered much more than enough.

—

"So, Tara is going to stay with us for a while." Dick finished briefing Vic and Gar. Vic knew it was for the best to have the three girls together. However, he knew it would also be awkward for Gar and Tara to be living under the same roof. Especially because of the way Gar broke up with her. If Vic remembered correctly, Gar told him that he had scheduled the "help" she needed and then ditched her at the doctor's office. He hadn't seen or even heard anything from or about her until now. He had no idea that she was put through so much for the year he had been gone from her life. Vic was no empath, but he knew when Gar was hurting. Gar had this empty look in his eyes that Vic hoped could tell Tara how guilty and ashamed he was of how he had acted. He would never be able to express to her what he felt through words. It never was his strong point.

Tara looked at Gar for a moment with an unidentified emotion in her eyes before moving on to the others. "So where do I sleep?" She asked with a smile, but everyone except Kori knew she was trying very hard to keep it on her face.

"Friend Terra, I must insist you sleep in my room!" Kori exclaimed at once and hugged her. Tara was thankful it was without her insane strength.

"I hope you don't mind that, Tara." Dick apologized. "I think that's the only way we'll all fit since the couch and all the beds are taken right now."

"Hey, anything is better than those crunchy, hospital beds!" She said, once again trying to be positive and not give into a bitter attitude. This, however, reminded Gar of what he had put her through even though Tara didn't intend her words to do such. He felt like such a jerk! When she glanced over at him again, he couldn't even meet her eyes. Instead, he looked down and to the side. How could any apology he make prove to her that he wanted to be forgiven above all else? Would she forgive him? _Could _she even forgive him?

"Glorious!" Kori said and grabbed Tara by the hand. "I shall show you our room at once!" She then dragged her by their joined hands up the stairs leaving the three boys and Rachel behind.

Vic looked at Gar and could almost feel all the misery he was experiencing. "C'mon, man." He told his shorter, blonde friend and patted him on the shoulder before turning to walk somewhere private. "We need to talk." Gar nodded and followed. This left Rachel and Dick alone. That was exactly what Rachel did _not _want. She didn't know what she felt for her former team leader. Were her thoughts earlier sincere or were they just taking advantage of the situation? She didn't know and was very confused, but couldn't stop thinking about it. Should she try to start anything with her best friend?

"Rachel," Dick said her name and she looked at him in the eyes even though she was still unsure of her emotions. "Are you feeling okay? You've been awfully quiet since the hospital." He asked earnestly. She looked away and wondered if he really did care.

Rachel opened and closed her mouth her mouth several times as if she didn't know what to say. Finally, she managed to look him in his eyes and ask her own question. "Why did you stick up for me?" She asked a little on the shy side. It was a side Dick hadn't seen in _this _her, but it reminded him of when he first asked _his _Rachel if she would go on a date with him. Could they actually be the same person?

Dick had trouble answering the question Rachel had so much trouble asking. "I always keep my promises." He finally told her. He couldn't seem to get out anything more, even though he wanted to say so much more. But could he really give up his wife so easily?

"Is that all?" Rachel asked him like she desperately wanted to hear his answer but to a certain level was scared of what it might be. Dick wondered what all she wanted to hear and figure out what he wanted to tell her. Were their thoughts truly one and the same?

"I'm sorry," He eventually told her and she looked disappointed at his answer and sad. However, he wasn't finished. "I've been such a baby about all of this." He rubbed the back of his neck as he inhaled and exhaled. "You're my wife, so I should believe what you say no matter how strange it sounds." He saw her eyes widen and then she smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks. She summoned all of her courage and leaned forward to embrace him. He _did _believe. "Thank you." She said faintly, but he heard her and then returned her embrace. They could definitely make this work. They _would_.

—Fin—

A/N: So, Xaphrin, how'd I do? I hope you enjoyed this one! I hope this answers some (if not all) of your questions. If there is still anything else missing or confusing, _please _bring it up. That goes for everybody! I wanna know what I can do to make the story more enjoyable and less lacking in detail. Oh, and I know that this chapter is way longer than the previous three. That would be because everything but the last blurb at the end of chapter three were written over two years ago. That just shows how much better my writing has gotten over that period of time. Please review!

Signed,

her Sappiness


	5. Mina Cycline

Disclaimer: If I did, this wouldn't be "fan" fiction.

Troubled Mind

—Mina Cycline—

FIVE

"I don't know if I could do that, Vic. Not after all I've done to her." Gar told his best friend honestly. "I dumped a confused girl from a different world at a doctor's office where she was put in a psychiatric center for almost a year. That whole time I didn't even check up on her to see how she was doing. I abandoned her! I can't believe I was such a jerk. . ." He admitted as he put his head in his hands.

Vic patted Gar on his back making him turn his head to look up at him. "Listen, I'm not going to say what you did was right — because it wasn't." Gar groaned at Vic's words in despair, but he continued to listen to his friend's words. He looked away from Vic. "But you are ashamed at what you did, aren't you?"

"I regret doing that more than any other mistake I've made in my entire life!" Gar expressed as he rubbed a hand through his hair and refused to look anywhere other than down.

"Then tell _her _that, not me." Vic said gently.

"How is a measly apology going to make up for everything I've done? How can she forgive me?" He paused as he gathered his thoughts together. "If I was her, I wouldn't want to even _look _at me!" Gar spat back at companion and Vic thought he saw him shed a tear.

Vic sighed before continuing. When Gar got depressed, he hit rock bottom and it was always hard to get him back on his feet. "Then why not show her?" Vic suggested.

"How do you suppose I do that?" Gar finally sat up straight and looked at his comforter. "I'm just a poor college student with no resources and there's not much left of this break. I can't plan something that'll take much time or even plead for forgiveness for every day for the rest of my life! You know how much time college sucks out of a person."

Vic breathed in and out before reasoning with his distraught friend. "The Tara you knew loved you." He said slowly in a docile tone. "Maybe this Tara does, too. Maybe all you have to do is take her somewhere nice to talk to her and let her know how you feel. If she's anything like the Tara we used to know, she'll forgive you."

Gar sat still looking over their surroundings before eventually replying. "I sincerely hope you're right, Vic." His eyes glazed over once more as he thought about his errors, but he wouldn't let himself cry anymore. At least, not at that time and place.

"What you talking 'bout, boy? I'm _always _right." Vic didn't get a laugh out of Gar like he intended to, but Gar did half-smile at his friend before walking back inside the house. It was the house where Tara and him would be in close proximity for who knew how long. He knew only too well that they would have to confront this issue before it consumed them both.

—

"Friend Terra, why do you cry?" Kori asked her new roommate as Tara sat down on the bed in their room and began to shed small tears.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. I didn't mean to. I– I just. . ." Tara had to inhale and exhale a couple times before she could continue talking. "I've always wanted to meet him again; but not like this. It's way too awkward. I must have been thinking I was living in a fairy tale or something. Ever since I first came here," Tara sniffled as she started to talk with intense emotions. "I've always imagined Beast Boy coming to rescue me in this strange world. When the doctors put me in that psychiatric ward, I felt like I was being put away in the highest room in the tallest tower. I still hoped he would rescue me. It was like I was waiting for my prince. But weeks passed, and then months. My faith was fading and I grew more and more irritable. I finally realized I wasn't a fair princess with a charming prince coming to take me away to another world where we would live happily ever after. My 'prince' was the one who was responsible for my being there in the first place! I just don't know why I never saw that. . ."

"You really loved him, correct?" Kori asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"I _still _love him; even after what he did to me. I just can't let go of him, no matter what he did." Tara wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she calmed down. "Do you see that as a weakness?" She asked as she looked up at Kori's green eyes. Tara was confused. She was unsure of whether to listen to her head which told her to dump Gar and move on, or to trust in her heart which said he was worth keeping.

Kori simply took Tara's hands in hers and spoke. "Love is never weak." She told her friend. "It only makes one strong."

"I don't feel strong." Tara admitted and shook her head slightly.

"But you are! Listen to yourself; even after everything that happened, you still want to be with him no matter what. You love him so much that you'll forgive him for any crime he could commit." And that was when Tara realized Kori was talking about both of them, not just herself.

Tara knew about Rachel and Dick being married because of what Rachel said in the hospital. But how did Kori feel? She had been close to Robin in their world. She loved him and let that be known openly. But in this world he was taken by her best friend. How much did that hurt? Tara thought it must hurt as bad as her own wounded heart, if not more. She knew they both had to be strong whether they had a chance with the one they loved or not.

—

"May I ask a question?" Rachel requested of her husband. It had only been several minutes since they had accepted each other and both were still partially shy around the other. They had walked over to the living room where Dick had been sleeping on the couch every night since this Rachel had woken up. He sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Rachel sat down next to him and waited for his answer. "You already have." Dick replied with a smug smirk. After receiving a death glare for ruining the mood, he softly smiled and answered for real. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

Rachel looked to the side opposite of her companion and fidgeted her hands. Dick saw all this and wondered what this question was and hoped it wasn't too embarrassing. Even though he went over several possible questions, he did not anticipate what came out of her mouth next. "What was our wedding like?" She slowly looked over to his side and then up at his face.

Dick was shocked to be honest. He had expected some type of embarrassing personal question, but nothing like that. He swallowed and then looked down at his hands before answering. "It was beautiful." He told her with soft eyes. He was obviously remembering the most important day in his life and the one he held most dear. "All our friends were there. Kori was your maid of honor and Vic was my best man." Dick looked down again and played with his wedding ring. "I had never seen my foster father so happy or proud before." He paused with a smile on his face. "He always liked you a lot." His facial expression slowly shifted from joy to emotionless. "You probably get along better with him than I do. I think I was always jealous because of that."

Rachel could feel his pain through his words, rather than any empathic abilities. Dick was hurting inside. Did he think about his poor relationship with his foster father every time he looked at her? _Am I just a reminder? _Rachel wondered_. No, he wouldn't have married someone that reminded him of his past. He would want someone to build a future with. Someone who would distract him from his past and misfortunes. Can I do that?_

As Rachel slid her hand onto his shoulder, he came back from spacing out. "Oh, that's right. The wedding. I probably couldn't explain it well, but we have over four thousand photos from the wedding and the reception."

"F. . . four _thousand_?" Rachel's eyes grew large at the number. Sure, she wanted to know about the wedding she would never remember, but not in that much detail! He was kidding. He had to be.

"Yeah, a bit much, right? But, that's what my foster father wanted along with a video of the ceremony." He told her. He was serious. "There is a shot of every aspect of the wedding and reception from every possible angle you could imagine." Dick looked a little exasperated just thinking about it. "And then there's the two albums you made; one for the wedding and the other for the reception. Each one took you about a month and a half to make. Would you rather look at those?"

"Why didn't you say anything about those earlier? I was just thinking I'd be here looking at loose pictures for the rest of my life!" However, Dick just smiled at her and gestured for her to come with him. So, she followed him up the stairs to their bedroom where she sat down on the edge of the bed. He opened a drawer on one of the bureaus in the room and pulled out two cream-colored albums. After sitting down next to her and putting the wedding album in-between them, they opened their wedding album _together_.

—

As Gar went up the stairs heading to his bedroom, he heard two girls crying. There was only one place it could come from. So, he stopped in front of the door belonging to Kori and Tara. He lifted up his hand to knock on the door, but could not bring himself to. He was causing her so much pain that he couldn't stand it. He never wanted to make her cry. That wasn't his intention because he loved her then. He still did. He knew that now.

As he was about to walk away from the girls' door and enter into his own, he heard a voice after a long sniffle. "I just wish we could have talked about it more before he dumped me. Maybe he doesn't love me the way I love him." Tara's words bit Gar deep. He didn't wait for an explanation, now, did he? He just dumped her without a second thought. What was wrong with him?!

But wait! _'Maybe he doesn't love me the way I love him.' _That sentence was in present tense. Could she still love him even after all the horrid things he had put her through? Was this his chance? Or was he just taking advantage of the situation? Maybe it was best just to leave it alone for now. He needed time to think this out. Did he really want to start something with a girl he hardly knew from another world? Just because she wore the body of someone he had dated, and even loved, did not make her the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. However, he still did owe her an apology. So, he turned around and walked into his room. He should think before he did anything that might ruin his chance forever.

—

"Do you ever think we'll go back, Starfire?" Tara asked after her crying had died down dramatically. She still felt like bawling, but could not force out anymore tears if she wanted to. She knew she had to stop. It was time to talk this whole situation out with someone who could empathize and hopefully help her feel better.

"Go back to where?" Kori asked in return, pretending to be the airhead she once was and partially was still. However, she knew what was coming. She just wanted Tara to express what she was feeling and to tell her where she wanted to go back to above all else.

"Home." Tara said as she fidgeted. She knew that was a broad statement. Where exactly was _her _home? Was it at Titans Tower still, even though she had left it and betrayed them? Or maybe just wandering around the world. The world she was used to, at least. "The universe where we were heroes and could help others." Tara eventually said after some thought. She still didn't know where exactly it was in that world, but she knew she wanted to be in that world, at least. "Here we have no powers and no way to defend the innocent from crazy psychopaths." She continued her thought as her emotions started to become less hazy. She knew somewhere in her heart where she wanted to be. She would just have to dig through it to find that one place she wanted to call 'home'.

"Maybe we are not needed here as we were in Jump City." Kori responded. "I do not know of any villains trying to take over the world." She continued and Tara couldn't argue with that. There weren't. Instead, it seemed peaceful and serene. The only fighting there was in this world was in fiction.

However, Tara refused to have Kori's thought cancel her now strong emotions. "But don't you miss it, Star?" She asked Kori, knowing the kind of emotions that would come out. Her loyalty, love, and joy of helping others would shine forth.

Kori looked sad, however, instead of the enthused answer Tara thought she would get. "Yes, I do. I miss it very much. I miss our friends and my powers." She paused to inhale and exhale before looking at Tara with a kind smile. "But maybe this is the way someone is saying 'Well done. You deserve a break'." Her optimism overshadowed any gloominess she had been experiencing.

"Or this is a way to get rid of us so—" Tara started but was interrupted by Kori. "Do not think like that, Friend Terra. We should look at life as a blessing rather than a curse." Kori could help herself and others if she kept all her thoughts positive. Even if she did not favor the relationship between Dick and Rachel, she knew she had to realize that, even in their own world, it would have happened anyway. They were drawing closer which meant Friend Robin was getting farther and farther out of her grasp. And there was nothing she could do about it. It was ultimately his choice.

Kori's bright smile outshone any others Tara had seen in her time in this world. Tara just wondered how long she could keep it up.

—Fin—

A/N: Well, there we go! Chappie five is up and submitted. I hope you guys liked this one. I thought I should go more in-depth in the characters' situations and feelings. I think I will go more into Tara and Gar's relationship next time. And can you think of any feelings on Vic's part? I know I kinda left him out since he isn't in a relationship right now. I wanna know what you think, so review!

Signed,

Her Sappiness


	6. Karl Batroll

**A/N: To make sure there is no confusion, there is another Robin-x-Raven story called "Revision" by **LizFerbuncle** floating around based off of this one. She is using this as her basis, but said she would take it a different way. So, if you come across that story, don't be afraid to read it since only the beginning and the background are the same. (Raven waking up in reality) I sincerely doubt she'll take it the way I have.**

Disclaimer: No sirree!

Troubled Mind  
—Karl Batroll—  
Six

"Wow," Rachel said as she looked at some of the first pages of their wedding album, "we go way back, don't we?" The pictures consisted of them as childhood sweethearts, then as awkward adolescents, and then more than friends but less than a couple in their mid-teenage years. Finally, the page came filled with their engagement photos. They looked so deeply in love. It was only romantic photos filling up two big pages. Dick and the other Rachel looked like they were having the time of their lives. The Rachel sitting next to Dick knew she could never make anyone feel the way her husband and _his _Rachel felt at the time. They probably still felt that way even though separated.

As she turned the page she saw herself in an expensive wedding gown with her hair up in a formal fashion and decorated with flowers. She was holding a bouquet of the same kind of flowers and walking towards her to-be husband with an elegant train trailing behind her. Dick softly put his fingers on the photo of his wife. "You were so beautiful. . ." He said in a daze. Rachel knew he was remembering the special day that she would never experience. When Dick realized Rachel was trying to turn the page since she was uncomfortable with him like that, he came to his senses. When he saw the look on her face, he joked with her since he could guess what kind of emotions she was experiencing. "I still can't believe I got you to wear a dress for a whole day!" He chuckled. "And a white one, at that!"

"She looked very happy to me." Rachel said sadly but had started to lighten up. And, as she looked through the rest of the album, she tried to feel the way her other self had on that day. She wondered what it would be like to feel such intense joy as she kept reading the little notes on the edges and looking at the cropped pictures of mainly the two of them. Before they knew it, they were done with their wedding album.

"Do you want to look at our reception album still?" Dick asked her. "It has more than just the two of us in there." Rachel nodded her head and they both smiled. It started out with them dancing their wedding dance. "Our wedding song was 'Just The Way You Are' by Billy Joel." Dick explained and smiled as he remembered the best day of his life.

"Hmm, I don't think I know that song." Rachel admitted. "How does it go?" She asked her husband who looked a little shocked. However, he smiled again after a moment. Rachel noticed that, although he was smiling, he seemed a little sad. _Of course he is._ She reasoned. _He's just found out that the most important dance in his life was forgotten by the person he shared it with. In fact, the person he danced with doesn't even remember which song they danced to. No wonder he's disappointed._

"I'll sing it for you." Dick said with a cheerful voice, but Rachel could tell he was using all his emotional strength not to look sad or depressed in front of her. He always worked so hard for her. Shouldn't she be doing the same? But before she could answer her own question, Dick cleared his throat and started to sing.

"Don't go changing to try to please me.  
You've never let me down before.  
Don't imagine you're too familiar  
And that I won't see you anymore.

"I would not leave you in times of trouble.  
We never could've come this far.  
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times.  
I like you just the way you are.

"Don't go trying some new fashion.  
Don't change the color of your hair.  
You always have my unspoken passion,  
Though I might not seem to care.

"I don't want clever conversation.  
I never want to work that hard.  
I just want someone I can talk to.  
I want you just the way you are.

"Need to know you'll always be  
The same old someone that I knew.  
What will it take until you believe in me  
The way that I believe in you?

"I said I love you. That's forever.  
This I promise from the heart.  
I couldn't love you any better.  
I love you just the way you are.

"I don't want clever conversation.  
I never want to work that hard,  
I just want someone that I can talk to.  
I love you just the way you are.

"Well, that's how it goes. Although, I'm sure Billy Joel did it much better than I did." Dick chuckled in embarrassment, also trying to bury other feelings.

"I like hearing you sing." Rachel admitted honestly, but also in embarrassment. _Those lyrics, though_. She thought_. He meant every word he said as if it was his personal song_. _What should I do for the sake of our relationship, whatever it might be?_ She wondered and not for the first time. She was seriously considering making this man happy. Even if it meant she change her personality. It looked like she was trapped here in this alternate reality. So what else was there to do? All she wanted was to be happy now that she could feel freely.

At that thought, they turned the page in their reception album where there were cropped photos of Rachel dancing with all the groomsmen. She recognized Vic and Gar, but there was a redheaded young man that she recognized from one of the photos from their childhood. He reminded her of someone, but could not place the face with a name. "So who is this person?" Rachel asked. "I think I saw him earlier."

"Oh, that's Roy Harper. He was one of my groomsmen as you can tell from the picture. The three of us have been close friends since junior high. I was in a real bind between having Roy or Vic as my best man. As you know, Vic won that one. Anyway, Roy is unfortunately a widower with a baby, now. We have him over once in a while to cheer him up and support him. In fact, he's supposed to come over. . ." Dick paused for a minute as he tried to remember the specifics, "sometime this week. Friday, I think." He finally said.

"So, he's coming over _tomorrow_?" Rachel asked as she winced. As much as she trusted Dick and everyone else in the house, she didn't want to be exposed to the world quite yet. She had seen the way Doctor Sarah Quill had treated Tara and her and really didn't want to be in that situation again.

Dick's eyes widened at her words. "Don't tell me. . . _Please_, don't tell me that today is Thursday!"

"Fine, go check a calendar or something." Dick did indeed get up and checked the calendar in the room. Not only was tomorrow Friday, but he realized just how short their summer break was getting. There wasn't much time before relationship issues had to be settled and they all would have to somehow resume their studies. It seemed impossible, and maybe it was.

Dick was sure Rachel and himself could come to a mutual understanding since they were headed that way. But what about Tara and Gar? He hoped for the best for them, but seriously doubted anything positive would happen during the short summer break they had left. And that posed another question. What would Tara do? She had almost no savings or inheritance left to get her into college. Did she even have the basic knowledge to get there in the first place? So, what would she do for a future? She didn't seem to be housewife material and Gar might need a second income to support a family. Well, that's assuming they get back together. And that was assuming a lot.

Finally, Dick went back to the present. Roy Harper. He was coming with his baby girl Lian tomorrow. How in the world was he supposed to explain what had been going on lately and make him believe it? It took Dick long enough just to accept it. Roy would probably think they were playing a trick on him, laugh then ask them to stop once it got old, and when they wouldn't stop since it was not a joke, Roy would get upset and leave in a huff feeling worse and not better. This was not good. But Dick couldn't cancel the meeting so quick with an excuse. Roy always knew when Dick was lying and he knew Roy's second wedding anniversary was coming up. He knew Roy needed more encouragement than Dick could give, but he still would try.

—

Kori watched from her bedroom doorway as Dick left Rachel's and his bedroom looking highly tense and stressed out. _Did Friend Raven say something to him to make him that way? _Kori wondered as he walked right past her and went down the stairs to the first floor. _Are they not getting along still? Why can they not see they are perfect for each other? _"Star?" Tara asked as she watched Kori just stand in the doorway. She wasn't moving and Tara thought she might start crying again despite all her positive remarks.

When Kori turned around to look at her roommate, Tara was surprised to see a smile. Kori would not allow herself to cry in front of others anymore. It was unacceptable. She had to be joyful for all the others and, not to mention, to keep herself from falling apart. "Shall we go find some food to eat, Friend Terra?" She asked, her smile not faltering even for a single moment. Tara nodded her head in agreement, but she was not too sure about going. A certain someone might also be there. . . But she would just have to suck it up and go. There would never be any progress if she hid from him all the time. She knew that, truly she did, but that didn't make it any easier. After breathing in and out, Tara walked out into the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen area ready to take on whatever was there. Well, more or less.

—

Meanwhile, Rachel stayed in her room and continued looking at Dick's and her reception album. After seeing a completely different self, she decided that she must've switched bodies somehow since she felt they were almost opposites. Would she ever be happy with Dick? Could she possibly make _him _happy? He was pampering her and doing everything he could to help her. So should she change herself for him in return? Should she try to be _his _Rachel? She didn't know. She had never before been so confused.

She turned the page and saw Kori dancing with Roy. She smiled at the two redheads. They looked good together. It was too bad about his wife, though. Rachel couldn't imagine having her most loved one dying and leaving behind a small child as a constant reminder of what was gone permanently. If Roy was the same age as Dick and her, the girl couldn't be much more than a year old. Her mother probably died within the past year, then. _Roy must still be in mourning but cannot show it openly because of his daughter. _Rachel thought. Dick was right by not canceling their gathering just because herself, Kori, and Tara weren't the people Roy remembered. They were a small detail. Roy was the priority right now.

Rachel kept looking through the album, seeing only a few familiar faces she could identify and others she could not quite pinpoint. However, most of them she did not know. Then she found it; a picture of Roy and his late wife. She was so pregnant she looked like she was about to burst; but she was so very beautiful with long, black hair and enchanting green eyes. Roy had his arm around his wife's shoulders and was kissing her cheek. His wife was blushing, but smiling so wide it rivaled Kori's. In fact, their smile was almost identical. Rachel couldn't help but hope that the two of them would somehow get together so any of their feelings of loneliness within would be erased.

It was then she closed the reception album and made her way downstairs to eat and then talk with Dick some more. She didn't know what she could do about _their _relationship, but she knew what she wanted to do to help others'.

—

"Hey, Rae." Vic cheerfully greeted her as she came into the kitchen. "You finally came down. Want a burger?" He asked as he flipped one on the grill. Rachel smiled and nodded when he looked at her for an answer. "Comin' right up!" He said with a grin as he put one of the remaining burgers on a paper plate and handed it to her. Rachel thanked him and walked over to the table where the other four were seated. Gar was on an end next to Kori who was next to Tara on one side and Dick on the other. Rachel decided it would be best to sit in the empty seat next to Dick more for their sake than for anyone else's.

Rachel was glad there was no fighting. _At least none so far. _She reminded herself, but wasn't pleased that there was not any talking whatsoever. It was quiet save for Vic's humming as he was finishing cooking the last few burgers on the grill. Other than that, there was silence as everyone else ate. Even Dick seemed quiet and withdrawn as he ate his burger_. Did I miss something? _Rachel wondered, but decided to try to get everyone talking. It was for the best. "So I hear Roy Harper is coming to visit tomorrow." She opened a discussion with everyone who could hear.

"Roy. . . Harper? Who is that, Friend Dick?" Kori asked him and he looked up from his burger to answer. "He's a dear friend who is coming to visit for the day. He is bringing his infant daughter, too." He said, but offered no more details.

"Why is his wife not coming? Is she ill?" Kori asked him with genuine concern.

"No, Kori. She isn't coming because she unfortunately is not alive anymore." Dick couldn't look Kori in her eyes. He hated telling anyone that someone was deceased. It reminded himself of when his biological parents died. And he recently thought he could feel what Roy felt when his wife died. Rachel was gone, but there was someone else in her body who was there to remind him what he did not have anymore. However, that was wrong. Rachel was there. She was just buried underneath all those other memories. He_ knew _it.

At Dick's words, Kori's eyes widened to the point they almost fell out of their sockets. She knew Dick had been reluctant to speak about the death of his friend's wife by the way he answered. She had caused him pain by making him speak about it. How could she have done that? As much as she didn't want to admit it, she still was very much in love with Robin, including his normal self, Dick. She hated to see him hurting over this sensitive subject, even though she should've been the one to hurt now he suddenly didn't return her feelings.

Kori suddenly realized that what she was feeling there, at that very moment, must've also been felt by Roy Harper. He had watched the one he loved more than anything die — perhaps even slowly — and felt his heart ripped out, but could not show his pain and openly grieve because of others. For Kori, she could not show a hint of sadness, hurt, or pain because of her friends, but for Roy Harper it was because of the only thing he had left of the one he loved; his daughter.

However, when thought about, Roy had it worse than any of them. Dick was convinced Rachel was somewhere in that body and would come back to him one day. However, that was highly unlikely. The three girls were convinced they were stuck in this "reality" for good and would have to learn how to live in this world and forget everything about their own. Wasn't that for the best no matter how much it hurt?

Gar was trapped in the grips of regret and despair over his sin. He had practically sold off the one he loved when all she needed and wanted was a helping hand. Now, she was under the same roof as him, forcing him to face his error and the consequences of his actions. He didn't have the courage to hear what she had to say to him and he didn't know what to say in return. He didn't even know what he felt when it came to his ex-girlfriend. He was so confused.

Rachel was also confused. Should she try to adapt to this strange world where magic did not and would not ever exist? Should she try to change so she would be this Robin's wife? She was stuck in this strange "reality" compared to her own. Or should she try to get back to Jump City and rescue this other Rachel? Wouldn't it make Dick _truly _happy? She didn't know or maybe didn't want to know. However, she didn't want to get rid of her unrestrained ability to feel so soon. That much she knew.

Tara didn't know what to do. It had taken all the courage she had to come downstairs where a potential conversation might take place with her ex-boyfriend. Even if that were so, she knew she would not be alone with him. Yet, she was scared to pieces over what he or she might say and regret later. She knew she still loved him, but could she forgive him for letting go of her so easily and forgetting about her?

Although all five of them had it really bad, they all still had the one they loved and therefore they had hope. Roy didn't have either. Kori couldn't help but pity Roy Harper and also wanted to meet him to find out how he gathered the courage to continue living each day without despair. Even though she was smiling outwardly, she could feel herself slowly start to abandon hope and, hence, start falling apart.

—

"Been a while, Dick." Roy Harper greeted his friend as he sat down his daughter who was sleeping peacefully in her infant seat.

"Indeed, it has been. Far too long." Dick replied as he took the opportunity to shake the hand of one of the best friends he had ever had. Dick was glad that the widower's grip was as strong as ever. However, Roy's facial expression changed to worry as he picked up the infant seat that held Lian. Dick thought for a moment that Roy was not as okay as he had thought him to be.

It surprised Dick when Roy spoke once more. "Let's go inside. You can tell me what's bothering you in there." Dick could only nod his head. He should've known Roy would see through his fake smile like it wasn't even there.

They walked across the neatly trimmed lawn to the two-story house Dick and his friends were sharing during their college years. Dick opened the front door and held it so Roy would have an easier time getting in while carrying his baby girl. "Thanks, man." Roy said as he made his way to the kitchen followed by Dick. He put Lian down on a sturdy chair and sat down on the chair next to her. Dick walked over to the sleeping Lian and smiled. "She's so much bigger than the last time I saw her." Dick commented; not daring to look Roy in the eye. "She must be going through clothes like crazy."

Roy sighed at Dick's comment instead of replying. He knew exactly what Dick was doing. "Dick, stop stalling and tell me what's going on." He demanded and Dick knew there was no way to change the subject or stall any longer. He just didn't know _how _to explain what had been going on for the past week or so.

"Well," Dick started and Roy gave him a look after a few seconds of silence. "Okay, let's just say things have been crazy around here lately." He told his friend in one rushed sentence followed by a sigh.

"Dick, you know that tells me absolutely nothing." Roy said in an almost annoyed tone. _Almost_. "Crazy, how so?" He asked and saw Dick swallow, close his eyes, and inhale then exhale deeply. Roy knew something was seriously wrong for Dick to act this way. Usually, they were honest with each other to the point they were like brothers that held no secrets from the other. What could be bothering Dick so much that he would close up so severely?

"I just don't know how to describe this past week in a way that you'll believe me." Roy noticed Dick's hands clench into fists as he looked away from his friend's eyes.

"Why wouldn't I believe you, man? I know you probably better than you know yourself and I can tell something is seriously disturbing you. Did something happen to Rachel?" Roy asked Dick and knew he was right by the way Dick stiffened. "So, it _is _Rachel." Roy said knowing all too well how it felt when something was wrong with the person you love. "She's going to be fine, though, right?" Roy asked Dick only to have him look back at him with watering eyes. He would not allow himself to cry, but there were so many times this past week and a half when he wanted to.

"I sincerely hope so. But there are times when I doubt that she will get better and I feel like I'm being crushed." Dick breathed in and out a few times until he had calmed himself down to the point he had pushed back his tears. "How did you cope with it?" He genuinely asked Roy.

"Hold on. She's not going to die, right? I mean, she's not at the hospital or anything, right?" Roy asked more than a little panicked, but kept his voice low enough so as not to wake up Lian. She couldn't be dying. Could she?

Dick shook his head and Roy let out a sigh of relief and calmed down. "No," Dick said, "it's nothing physical. Or, at least, I don't think so." He stopped speaking at the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs. A few seconds later, Rachel stood before them in a loose black tee and jeans. That is what caught Roy off guard at first. Rachel only wore clothes of that nature when she was cleaning or gardening because she didn't care what happened to them. Secondly, she wasn't wearing any makeup. Roy knew Rachel put makeup on every morning as soon as she woke up because she was highly embarrassed without it. It didn't matter how many times Dick told her she was beautiful without it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dick." Rachel apologized at the sight of her husband and his guest. "I didn't think he was here, yet. I'll go back upstairs, now." She turned to leave but Roy stood up and grabbed her arm before she could leave the kitchen.

"No, it's okay, Rachel." Roy told her gently. Something was definitely going on. Her mannerisms were completely different. Usually, she would have given Roy a hearty welcome including a hug and, together with Dick, they would have had a few cokes and chat about nowadays and way back when. The three of them were buddies and had been since they had met Roy in junior high. Now she seemed hesitant and unsure much unlike her bold and friendly personality. She didn't even call him by his name. Something was seriously wrong and Roy knew Dick had much to worry about. "I don't mind if you join us." Roy told her with a to-die-for smile.

Rachel's eyes immediately glanced over to Dick's for a decision. He smiled and nodded in approval. He knew it would be nice to have a Roy's opinion on their situation and maybe even some ideas of what to do. "Okay. Then I'll stay." Rachel gave a smile and sat down, but both Dick and Roy could see through it. Staying was definitely not on her priority list. First, she felt she would be in the way of their male bonding time. Second, she knew relatively nothing about Roy Harper and his circumstances, although she agreed he should have some time with his friends to make up for the loneliness he must feel every day. And third, she only knew his face from pictures. What would she do if he started talking about the past? She could only fake so much. That was why she was planning on staying upstairs his entire visit. Curse her thirst!

This only heightened Roy's curiosity. She was acting like she was a completely different person. No wonder Dick had so much anxiety! However, there was something the two of them knew or understood that they were not sharing with Roy and he knew it. Roy sighed as he and Rachel sat down with Dick at the table. "Okay, now that we are all seated, you two are going to tell me everything that has been going on. This is getting way too weird."

Rachel and Dick quickly looked at one another in panic before looking back at Roy. Dick sighed and took Rachel's hand that he sadly noticed held no ring. "Maybe you'd be better at explaining this one, Rae."

"Okay. Well," Rachel started while looking at Roy before transferring her gaze to Dick's hand holding hers. "Things have been really crazy the past week or two." She began biting her lower lip and wondered what and how to tell this man what they all had been through. He was perceptive and she knew he already was beginning to discern what was going on. But, when told, would he believe it? It took a long time and much evidence for Dick to just accept it.

Roy nodded but only narrowed his eyes at her. "So I've heard." He told her. Something weird was definitely going on. He just didn't know _what_. What could be so wrong with Rachel that it would cause her to act like this and have Dick distressed beyond words? He didn't know, but as their friend he was determined to find out.

Before Rachel could speak another word, footsteps were heard on the stairs once more. Somebody was coming down. Soon, Kori in all her redheaded glory appeared in the hallway. "Friend Raven? Have you achieved quenching your thirst?" She asked with her big smile that Roy had to admit looked a lot like his late wife's. Something else was going on. Why was Kori acting, smiling, and speaking like that? After a moment of silence from all three, Kori stopped smiling and looked very out of place. "Am I interrupting something most important?" She asked shyly.

"No, Star." Rachel said. _Star?_ Roy wondered_. Since when did she receive that nickname? _"I think you should stay down here, too." Rachel paused after telling her only teammate in this universe and friend. "It would make things much easier if he heard the story from both of us."

"Both of you?" Roy asked very confused. "What just happened exactly? You're all acting very weirdly." He looked almost scared about what was going on. Something was seriously wrong with the two girls and maybe even Dick, too. He had never seen his best friend this depressed and closed up. What could have happened to make them all change this drastically?

"Well, to start off," Rachel started and Roy nodded awaiting her response, "I'm not from this world or, rather, this dimension. And neither is Starfire, or Kori as you know her, as well as Tara Markov. The three of us are from an alternate world from what we can figure out." Roy gave her a blank look as if he wasn't sure he had really heard that or not. "I woke up one morning about a week and a half ago and I was here."

"Oh, so it's some form of amnesia maybe?" Roy asked out loud and kept talking as he thought. "I mean, you couldn't possibly be from a different dimension. It goes against all the laws of physics!"

"I should've known you'd be just like him." Rachel said as she sighed. Roy looked at her with an eyebrow quirked in question. "You don't believe me, do you?" Rachel asked him.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but I just don't know _how _to believe you." Roy admitted. "Those body transfer things are only a work of fiction. There's no way it can be real. I mean, if I believed you, next you'd tell me you're something ridiculous like a magical school girl and I just can't accept that as truth."

"Well," Kori said and Roy shifted his gaze from Rachel to her. "You're not too far off from the truth. Although Friend Raven is not currently a girl in school, she _is _quite magical."

"I can't believe this. Magic?" Roy scoffed. "There is no such thing!"

"Unfortunately, there is no such thing in this dimension otherwise I would be happy to give you a demonstration." Rachel said with a glare in her eyes and a frown. She was not happy in the least and Dick could tell. He didn't know what would happen if Roy pushed much more. Things had just become peaceful for them! Dick didn't think he could afford to lose much more sanity. It was true that this seemed hard to accept, but if Dick could, why couldn't Roy?

Roy saw the bitter and angry look Rachel was giving him and decided to let her side slip for the moment. There was no need to make things worse than what they already were for Dick. So, Roy turned from Rachel to Kori. "And what about you? What's your story?"

"I only woke up yesterday morning, so I am not sure about a lot that has happened here. But I can tell you much about my other home. I am Princess Koriand'r from the planet Tamaran, but now I live on the earth. My name translated into English is Starfire. My good friends have given me a shortened version of my English name to go by. They call me 'Star'." Roy's eyes narrowed in confusion at her explanation. "I am also a super hero alongside Raven or Rachel as you call her and three others."

"Wait. It's one thing to be an alien, but also a princess who is a super hero? Do you possess magical powers, too?" Roy asked flatly.

"My abilities are quite natural, actually. All Tamaraneans possess them." Roy nodded his head. "I have different abilities from my different emotions. For example, I can fly when I am joyful. I have lasers called 'starbolts' in English that I can shoot from my hands and eyes when I am angry. I also have strength that is much more increased than any human's, but that is not generated from any emotion." Kori finished speaking in a gentle and logical tone. It made Roy feel bad about the way he was reacting to their stories. He was certain he did not believe them, but he could tell that the two of them did from the bottom of their hearts.

"You may not believe me," Rachel said to Roy, "but I have a whole lifetime of memories of my home planet and everything that has happened since I came to Earth in search of help including the end of the world and its rebirth."

"The end of the world?" Dick asked. "I didn't hear anything about this."

Rachel sighed before speaking. "Everyone has a personal demon in their life in one way or another. Mine just happened to be an actual demon who wanted to take over the earth and use it as his throne while he took over the other planets in the universe. And he _did _destroy the world." Rachel paused as she inhaled and exhaled deeply. "I was thrown into the pits of Hell in nothing but a child's form while my other four comrades battled it out with Trigon. If it wasn't for Robin, we'd all be dead."

Dick looked up. "You mean _me?_"

Rachel nodded. "You sided with your arch nemesis and went deep into the pits of hell to find me. You didn't know if you would find me or even get out again if you did, but on you went not doubting for a moment that all of us could succeed. It was because of you that we all managed to win against Trigon." She finished with a shy smile.

"That's not true, Friend Raven." Kori objected. "If you hadn't given us your magical abilities, the four of us wouldn't have even survived the end of the world. And then, if you recall, the four of us _did _die."

"I'll never forget that terrible day." Rachel said as a tear streamed down her face. Roy suddenly felt much worse. What had the two of them seen? Even if it was just some delusion; no one deserved to watch everyone around them die until they were the only one left.

"But it was _you_, Friend Raven," Kori said, breaking Roy away from his thoughts, "who reversed all the damage and defeated your father. And for your courage, hope, and bravery every being in this world — whether in this dimension or another — is grateful to you." Kori laid a hand on Rachel's shoulder and she wiped the stray tear away.

"Whoa, wait a sec. Your father is a demon?" Dick asked her in curiosity and concern. _What kind of memories would she have had knowing her father is a demon?_

"It's not exactly a fact I like to boast about." Rachel said as she looked down and watched herself fidget with her hands. She looked very small and fragile in that moment. Dick had never remembered her looking like that before. "Yes, the demon Trigon is my sire, but I will never call him my father." She looked very sad when speaking those words and the other three could tell this was a very sensitive subject. "Dick, he's the reason I have the powers of the dark since my mother was human."

Dick put his hand on her shoulder in order to comfort her. "I see." He said gently and in an understanding tone. He knew by her words that those memories plagued her as well as gave her hope for the future. Rachel looked back at him and gave a small smile. Roy watched the interaction between the two and finally understood. He might not believe this whole bit about switching bodies, but he knew that it was real for _them_. They needed to be comforted in this strange, new world they woke up in one day. Rachel might've been here for over a week, but Kori said she had been there only for a day. Why was it that Kori seemed much more calm and refined than Rachel did?

While Dick was still talking quietly to his wife and comforting her, Kori gestured with her head to come with her, so Roy followed. He left Lian behind because he knew that if he tried to move her, he would end up making a huge distraction and might even wake her up. Right now, Rachel and Dick needed some 'alone time'. So, Roy ended up leaving the house quietly and walking down the street to a public park he didn't remember seeing before.

Kori sat still on a playground swing in the middle of the park by Roy who was standing. They both were watching the setting golden sun. "So, why did you bring me all the way out here?" Roy asked, knowing this wasn't just for the sake of Dick and Rachel's relationship. There was something else Kori wanted. Roy didn't know what, but it was eating at him. He also knew he could get some answers from Kori about Dick and Rachel. What were their emotions about each other and this new development? But first, what could Kori want from Roy?

"There was something I wanted to ask you." Kori said shyly and looked down at her boot moving back and forth in the dirt. She couldn't explain it, but she was nervous. She didn't know why. After all, he was a friend of hers and came willingly. Was she afraid of what she might hear if she asked him the question that was killing her? Once again, she didn't know and wasn't so sure she wanted to find out. But she had to ask him. For her sake if for no one else's.

Roy shifted his weight to his right foot behind him and nonchalantly put his hands in his pockets. "Like what?" He asked as if it was no big deal. However, it was a big deal. He was pretty good at reading people and their emotions which therefore allowed him to guess quite accurately their future actions and reactions. But Kori was different. It was obvious that she was anxious, but why? Did she really want to ask this question? And what was this question, anyway? He didn't know. It was hard having to start all analyses anew with someone he had been fairly acquainted with. This was someone new he had to remind himself again and again. He started to calm down. Soon it all would be out on the table for him to dissect. He just had to wait for her to ask her question.

Kori stopped moving her boot in the loose dirt beneath her. She looked up at him from her sitting position with her tan skin beaming like copper in the sun's dying light. Once she locked eyes with him she inhaled and exhaled before speaking. "I just wanted to know how you dealt with being alone all of a sudden." She told him genuinely and Roy was thrown off-guard. He never would've expected something like this. With the way she was acting, he had guessed what she was asking was for a detached male viewpoint on some matter. He never imagined it would be this personal and about _him_.

"You feel alone?" He asked her and she nodded while looking down at her boots once more. She could not look at his penetrating gaze for any long amount of time. So it _was _about her. However, before he could do any more analyzing, he decided to focus on what she would say in answer to his question and how to react in return.

"You see, I had a boyfriend in the other world who I loved more than life itself." Kori explained to him and he understood. Problems of the heart were always the hardest to figure out. He was still figuring things out about him and his wife even after she had passed. "However, I woke up yesterday morning to find that he was married to my best friend. So, suddenly he doesn't return my feelings and I cannot show mine." Roy thought he saw a tear escape her eyes as her voice quivered and did not blame her. "I just don't know how to deal with being all alone; that's all." _She must be talking about Dick and Rachel. _Roy thought_. I wonder how betrayed she must feel. . ._

"I don't see it that way." Roy said and Kori lifted her head to look at his smiling face. Was he smiling at her? She couldn't tell, but she wanted to know. As to why, she couldn't figure out. "You're not all alone, are you?" Kori looked at him strangely because she could not understand what he meant. Of course she was all alone. Robin or Dick wasn't 'her boy' anymore. He would never be again. And the one who had him now was taking him for granted and not truly loving him. "You have your friends, don't you?" Kori's eyes widened at his words and she saw how hypocritical she truly was. _She _was the one taking people for granted! "And don't your friends love you and have your friendship in return?" Kori could only nod as more tears escaped her eyes. "Are you still as alone as you thought you were?" He asked with a soft smile.

Kori stood up off the swing and walked the few feet over to Roy. She had tears of joy and relief streaming down her face that reflected the dying ruby sun. With a smile that looked almost identical to his late wife's, she hugged him and spoke softly into his shoulder. "No, I'm not."

Roy looked down at her slightly shorter form and hugged her back with a smile. "Me too." He didn't know what it was, but something was igniting in him. He could feel it burning in his heart and in his cheeks. He breathed in and out in contentment. He wanted to feel like this forever. The question was, however, did he want to feel like that with _her_? Could he really betray his late wife like this? It had only been about a year since her death. But did he really want to rule this out so blindly?

Kori stood back after a moment and Roy immediately missed the feeling of her in his arms. He looked at her face with an emotion she could not identify and she found herself shyly looking back. He brushed the cold tears from her cheeks with his thumbs as he held her face in his hands. He could see a blush form on her cheeks and found he couldn't stop himself from doing what he was going to do next. He couldn't stop it no matter how much he would have and probably should have. It just seemed so natural to slowly lean in and kiss her tempting lips.

After making first contact, he was surprised at how she reacted. Instead of brushing him away like he thought she would, Kori leaned forward to kiss him fully and wrapped her arms around his neck. Apparently, whatever had him so possessed also had its grips on her heart.

Soon one kiss led into another and neither could control themselves. It just felt so right to wrap his masculine arms around her slender waist and pull her against his body. And she did nothing to prevent him from doing so. Before long they broke their lip contact in want of air. They both looked at the other with a blush on their cheeks and could barely believe what they had just done. Neither had ever felt that way before. They couldn't believe there was such a feeling that existed. All they knew was that it felt _right _and not to mention wonderful.

After a few more moments of looking into the other's eyes, Kori stepped back from the embrace and Roy released her. She looked down before speaking. "I– I'm sorry, Roy." She told him while fidgeting with her hands even though she didn't mean it. She had enjoyed it perhaps even more than he had. "I, um, don't know what happened." She still had that blush on her cheeks and Roy wanted to kiss her again and again.

"I'm not sorry." Roy told her and she looked at him in surprise. "And neither are you." He gave her a smile and had this gleam in his eyes that she had never seen before. Not even in Robin's eyes. Was it love? She partially hoped it was no matter how wrong that would be. "I can tell, you know. I have you all figured out." He further told her with that very peculiar glean in his eyes. What should she say in return?

"You're right." She smiled in return and cocked her head to the side. "So, do you know what I'm thinking now?" She looked at him and challenged what he said. Could he really tell what intense feelings she held? Was she really that easy to read?

"You are thinking," Roy said with a cocky smirk like he knew the secret to life, "exactly what I am thinking right now." Roy took a step forward towards Kori so they were close enough to feel the other's body heat. He couldn't help but slip one of his arms around her waist in the process. "And that would be," he started but couldn't finish until after he closed his eyes and tasted her lips once more. Once he had kissed her, he leaned back a little bit and looked longingly in her eyes. "That would be the fact that this isn't wrong. The truth is," Roy pressed his lips against her forehead, "this is very _right_." He leaned back and looked her in the eyes once more. "Besides, you wanted to kiss me again. C'mon, admit it." She giggled at the silly look he was giving her. "You _know _you wanted to."

"And what if I did?" Kori teasingly asked him with a smile. She felt so free at that moment; so happy. She had never felt that way with Robin. Did that mean Robin wasn't the man for her? Was Roy 'the one' instead of him? Would Roy continue to make her happy like this? Or was she just taking the next best thing now Robin or Dick was taken? Would Roy actually believe her one day about being from an alternate world? She didn't know the answer to any of those questions. However, all she wanted at that moment was to continue this high whether it be true or not.

Roy smiled at her and didn't offer a reply. He took her hand in his and began walking away after gesturing his head to the side as a 'let's go'. Kori immediately followed their linked hands and then caught up to him so they were walking side-by-side. She could feel her cheeks burning as she thought of all they had done and what it might mean for them in the future. She felt like this was the best day of her life and wasn't so scared to start anew in this strange world. Now she knew she wasn't alone; she had her friends and the man she was quickly falling in love with. And that was more than enough for her. She was more than content; she was _happy_. They soon walked back to the house where Dick and Rachel were playing with Lian and that's when Kori remembered that with Roy came another family member. Would she be okay being a mother to a child that wasn't hers?

—Fin—

A/N: Wow, I finally finished! It felt as if this was never going to end. My goodness, sixteen pages? I really wrote a lot, didn't I? I'm sorry if it took too long. I hope I didn't make Roy too out of character or anything like that. Well, I think I'll write a bit more about the Kori-x-Roy relationship, but I really want to tackle the Tara-x-Gar problem soon. I'll have to get those two along somehow. . . Any suggestions, questions, comments? Then please review!

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	7. Will Butrin

Disclaimer: What do you think?

Troubled Mind  
—Will Butrin—  
SEVEN

Tara looked up as Kori came into their room and closed the door behind her. Although she looked like she had a lot on her mind, Tara could tell she had a blush on her cheeks. It was subtle, but definitely there. This made Tara curious as to what had happened. She had heard the front door open and close a couple times along with some goodbyes just before Kori came up. She concluded Roy Harper and his daughter must've just left. What could've happened in the couple hours Kori had been down there? "Star, did something happen?" Tara asked her.

Kori came out of her daze as soon as Tara spoke and she wondered what she should say. Should she express this new feeling to her friend or should she keep it a secret until she came to a proper relationship with Roy? She soon decided it wasn't good to keep secrets from friends and also thought if she didn't say what she thought and felt she was going to burst. "Okay, Friend Terra." Kori said after a long pause. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you will not tell anyone else."

Tara's eyes widened. What could be so important and confidential that Kori wouldn't want anyone else to know? Tara didn't know and couldn't believe that Kori trusted her that much even after everything she had done as Slade's apprentice. "Don't worry, Star. I promise I won't tell anyone else. Now, what's wrong?"

"It's not what is wrong that is on my mind. It's what is _right_." Kori blushed deeper and looked so at peace with herself after speaking. Her words, however, confused Tara. Why this drastic change so suddenly? Even though Kori had been smiling earlier, Tara could tell she wasn't really deep down in her heart. But now she was smiling genuinely. What could've happened to her over the course of two or three hours to make her this way? Tara didn't know, but she wondered if whatever helped Kori could also help her get rid of her heartache. It was like magic.

"I don't understand, Star. Why are you feeling so different after only a little more than two hours? I thought you were sad that Robin, I mean Dick, was now married to Raven." Kori walked over to the queen-sized bed where Tara was sitting and sat down next to her. She looked Tara in the eyes and held her hands with the most content smile Tara had ever seen on Kori.

"I don't know how to explain what I feel now in words." Kori told her as she looked away for a moment while trying to place her thoughts. "I feel so different now." She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled before looking back at Tara. "Roy helped me realize so much." She said with a deeper blush and a shy smile.

"Oh, so this is about _Roy_." Tara said starting to understand where the conversation was heading. Kori shyly nodded her head in confirmation. Tara smiled devilishly. "So, have you fallen for him, yet?" She asked in a teasing manner. "I hear he's _really _handsome."

"I think I have, Friend Terra!" Kori said and hugged her friend and former teammate. Tara could and couldn't believe at the same time that she was actually hearing Kori say that. Did she really mean that? Was it even _physically possible _for her to really mean that? The thought seemed so foreign to Tara, but she was happy for Kori at the same time.

"But what about Robin?" Tara hesitantly asked. She didn't want to rain on her friend's parade, but she thought that Kori really needed to think this through. Was she just blindly running into something to get rid of her misery? "Can you really give him up so easily?"

"In this world, there never was a relationship to begin with. So, I need to stop thinking there might be a chance, since there isn't." Kori could've looked melancholy, but Tara only saw nonchalance. "Besides, I have never felt this way before; not even with Robin." Kori said with a smile of contentment and in a logical manner.

"Well then," Tara didn't mean to snoop, well, maybe she did, but she couldn't help but ask the obvious question one way or the other, "does he like you back?"

"I believe he does." Kori said embarrassingly and had a hard time looking at Tara while she fidgeted her hands. "After all, we did ki– ki–" Kori couldn't get the word out. She was too embarrassed to admit that she had been kissed by Roy and had even kissed him back.

"You guys _kissed_?" Tara said unbelievingly and a little too loudly. Kori flushed a crimson color and looked down in embarrassment. After a moment, she got the courage to nod her head slightly to confirm the accusation. "Oh, this is better than any soap I've ever seen!" Tara exclaimed in excitement.

"Soap?" Kori asked in total mystification. "What does soap have to do with my situation, Friend Terra?"

Tara only chuckled at Kori's confusion. "No, I mean a soap opera." She said in-between giggles.

"I did not know there was soap on Earth that could sing. I would very much like to hear it one day." This only made Tara laugh even more. She didn't think she could even utter another word because she was laughing so hard. That moment made her forget about all of her worries. Even those that were Gar-related. However, it only made it worse for the pointy-eared boy listening on the other side of the door. He needed to resolve his feelings soon and before he went insane from the suspense.

—

"You know what? That wasn't so bad." Rachel told her husband as they walked back towards the house after waving goodbye to their guests. "For a moment, I thought things were going to get ugly, but it ended up being alright." She looked at Dick with a smile. "You have a really good friend."

Dick looked back at her and she had a hard time discerning what he was feeling. "You're wrong." He said neutrally and Rachel raised her eyebrow in inquisition, so he clarified. "_We _have a really good friend." He smiled at her and she nodded her head in agreement. He opened and held the door for her and then headed inside after her.

They stood by the stairs in the foyer as they continued to talk. "I think you're right." She replied with a natural smile. "I wonder where he went with Star, though." Rachel crossed her arms against her chest and looked puzzled. "They weren't gone for very long, but they seemed really different when they got back."

Dick furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean by 'different'?"

"I dunno." Rachel said in slight frustration as she tried to think of another way to put it. "Closer, maybe?" She offered, but still didn't like the way it came out. Why was it so hard to describe the change in those two? "Wait a minute," Rachel said as she had an epiphany, "you don't think that the two of them. . . you know. . ." she paused and looked down for a moment before looking up at Dick, "got together?"

Dick scratched the back of his head. "Well, Roy has been lonely lately and Kori's been slightly depressed, but I really don't think the two of them would—"

"You're wrong. They're together, but not in the way you are insinuating." Said a new voice as the owner descended down the stairs. It was Gar. "I heard through the girls' door." Gar looked to the side as he spoke and was frowning even though he didn't mean to. He might be training to become an actor, but when it came to his own emotions when they were so severe, he had a hard time suppressing them.

"You don't look so good, Gar." Dick said as he walked closer to Gar, disregarding the conversation up till then. "Are you sleeping at night?" He asked in concern. Gar looked like he was being tormented internally and it was starting to show externally. He had circles under his eyes and he looked dazed. It was like he wasn't really there mentally.

"It's not the night that bothers me." Gar said in response and the couple realized what was going on. His condition was Tara-related. Was he really falling apart over the situation _that _much? However, after thinking about it, they couldn't blame him. If either of them had done what he had, they didn't think they would forgive themselves either. Maybe it _was _a bad idea bringing Tara back to the house to stay with them. But where else could she go? She had no family, no friends. She had no one to depend on other than them.

They were in a bind. It might seem kind to remove Tara from Gar's world for a while if they could, but, in the end, he would still be tormented. At least if they kept her around, then the two of them would have a chance to come to terms with what happened. Hopefully they would learn to deal with the situation instead of living with deeply entrenched regret for the rest of their lives.

Dick put his hand on his shorter friend's shoulder in attempt to reassure him. He didn't know if it would succeed in making him feel at least the tiniest bit better, but he had to try. "You have to settle this, Gar." He told him softly. "It will just get worse the longer you wait it out. They say things heal with time, but, if nothing is resolved, it will only tear you two apart even more. If you don't talk about it soon, it might be too late to come to an understanding. Don't you want to be forgiven?" He asked quietly and gently.

"If you were her, would, no, _could _you forgive me?" Gar asked in return and Dick for once had no idea what to say. He side-glanced at Rachel, looking for help.

"I think she could." Rachel said, coming to her husband's rescue. "She loves you, Gar. You need to believe in her; even if you can't believe in yourself." Gar had been staring at his shoes, but looked up at her mild words. Gar couldn't help but wonder if Tara really did love him. Or maybe Rachel was just saying that to make him stop sulking and get on with his life. That was when Gar decided that, even though he didn't know how she felt about him, it was time to choose and take a definite course of action. But what?

—

"So then he said—" Kori stopped mid-sentence while talking to Tara because of a knock on their door. Who could that be? They looked at each other for a brief moment before Kori answered. "Yes?"

The pointy-eared boy who was on the other side of the door didn't answer right away. He found he could not. Instead, he focused on continuing to breathe. He felt so nervous! "I–it's Gar." He finally managed to say after a long inhale and exhale. He could do this. He _had _to! _If I can't do this simple task, I'll never be happy and . . . neither will she. _"Can I come in?" He asked hesitantly.

Tara quickly glanced over to Kori in a silent plead to not let him in. She was afraid of what the situation ahead might entail. She wasn't sure what Gar wanted, but she found she was anxious about it. She had been avoiding Gar as much as she could in the house; mainly staying with Kori in their room. She felt she wasn't ready to face him. At least she'd have Kori there. "Yes, come in." Kori answered Gar as she smiled at Tara to reassure her_. She needs this, _Kori thought. _No matter how scary the situation might be for her, it needs to be done. She can't move on until she talks with him._

Gar swallowed a large lump in his throat before reaching for the door handle. As he slowly opened the door, he skimmed over Kori and looked at Tara. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Was he really _that _scary to her? He _was _doing the right thing, wasn't he?

"Did you need something?" Kori asked when Gar stood in their doorway as if not sure whether he should intrude their room by taking another step or not. Kori noticed Tara was still in such shock looking at Gar that she could not speak a word.

Gar fidgeted with his hands but kept his gaze on Tara. He had overheard her laughing when she was talking with Kori just before he had made his presence known. How could he make her change so drastically within only a minute or so? _Of course she's scared witless of me. I only ruined her life, _Gar thought bitterly. After a few more moments of silence, he summed up the courage to ask one of the hardest questions he had ever asked before. However, it would only be the first of many more to come within a short period of time. "Would it be alright if I talked with you?" Tara panicked and quickly looked over at Kori. Gar noticed that she was hoping to seek refuge in the redhead. "Alone?" Gar pleaded with Kori to let Tara go when he caught her green eyes. She slightly nodded her head in acceptance.

"But I—" Tara tried to find an excuse but was cut off by Kori.

"You should go." Kori told her quietly and put her hand on Tara's shoulder in support. Tara looked back at her, uncertain of whether or not she should take her friend's advice. Would going with Gar like this really lead her to a happy ending? And that's when she realized she had been so caught up with herself and her own happiness, she had never considered _his _feelings. He wanted happiness, too. That's why he wanted to settle things with her and move on in one direction or another. She could only hope that they would both end up with happiness — together or not.

Tara looked up at him as he walked over to where she was on the bed and held out his hand for her to take. "Let's go for a walk." He said with a subtle, gentle smile on his face. Tara decided it would be for the best. The two of them needed a new beginning. It was up to them whether it be from the much needed closure or the start of a new relationship between the two of them the way it should have been in the beginning; without all the pain and regret.

However, thinking about that gentle but sad smile he gave her, she couldn't guess which ending Gar wanted. But she could hope that it would be for the best and that she would be willing to accept whatever decision he made.

She took his outstretched hand after a moment's hesitation. As he helped pull her up from a sitting position to standing, she couldn't help but see the sadness in his blue eyes. This would make her happy, wouldn't it? However, she smiled the moment after. She was done doubting. "Let's go." She said and noticed Gar looked relieved. Was he as scared about this situation as she was?

"It's a little dark outside, but shall we go to the park?" He asked her and she consented by nodding. Then Gar started to walk and gently pulled Tara along by their joined hands. They left the room and Kori noted that Gar still held her hand; maybe even without realizing it. She could only hope that he did intend it. For both their sakes. She smiled to herself and laid down on her bed. Today was definitely life-altering for both herself and Tara, but it wasn't a bad change. Instead, she knew it was a really good thing. Beast Boy on her world was head over heels for the girl. Gar was the same. He had to be.

—

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Tara asked hesitantly as they finally reached the park that was down the street from the house. Gar sat down on a park bench and patted the spot next to him, indicating for her to sit, too. After a moment, she decided she would take the suggestion and sat down. However, Gar noticed she still kept her distance by staying on the far side of the bench.

Looking up at the starry night sky, he relaxed against the park bench and sighed. "Did the stars look the same where you used to be?" He asked her. She was taken aback at first by the question. It wasn't what she had expected him to say. However, she soon realized he was trying to get her to relax and then ease into the very sensitive topic.

"Yeah, I used to go stargazing all the time back home. In fact, it was like the stars _were _my home since I spent so much time outdoors." She told him as she raised her eyes to the starry heavens above them like his were.

There was an almost comfortable silence while Tara waited for Gar to speak. Because of this, Gar was very nervous. _I can't screw this up. I just can't!_ "Do you want to stay here?" _Yeah, nice transition, idiot. _Gar thought as he mentally smacked himself in the middle of his forehead.

Tara didn't notice his anguish about his very choppy topic change or maybe she just didn't care. So, she replied naturally, albeit a little sad. "I don't really have a choice, do I? I don't think there is a way to get back. Why do you ask?" She didn't understand what he was asking and that only caused frustration.

"I mean," he paused and looked away from the stars to her unknowing face, "would you consider making this your home?" He felt unbelievably nervous and Tara noticed this time. She looked at him in his eyes as the streetlight flickered next to the park bench they shared.

"What do you mean by that?" He noticed she dodged his question. Instead, she wanted to know what he was getting at. He decided he should just come out and say it. So he did.

"I can understand if you can't stay in the same house as me because of what I put you through. But, do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?" Tara's eyes widened. "That's all I really wanted to ask."

"Is that all you have to say?" Tara stood up and kept her back to him. Gar could see her fists tighten. Could she really hate him that much? He thought for a moment and decided he deserved it. "You know, you should learn to be more selfish." She turned around and looked at him with angry tears in her eyes. To say Gar was surprised by her reaction would be an understatement. He had no clue what was going on in her mind. "So, do you want me to stay with you or not? Can't you even make up your mind _that _much? You're such a jerk!"

Gar blinked his eyes a couple times and found he was so shocked he couldn't speak for several moments. Could it be that she cared? After a moment he had composed himself enough to speak. "It's not that I can't make up my mind about that. I just thought it would be unfair to ask you to stay with me. I felt like it would back you into a corner and I didn't want to do that to you. Not after putting you through so much pain already." He paused for a moment as he sighed. "I don't know if I could honestly tell you that I loved you, but I do know that I want you to be near me. At least until I can figure out my feelings."

Tara wiped the cold tears from her eyes and then looked back at Gar. He knew she was about to say something. He just didn't know exactly what it would entail. "I understand." She said with a hint of a smile. "I don't know whether I could tell you how I felt about you either at this very moment." She shrugged. "I think we just need some time to sort out our feelings."

"Are you still afraid of me?" He couldn't help but ask, although he now knew there was more hope before him than sorrow. He just hoped it would stay that way.

"No." She told him and he relaxed completely. "I don't think I have to be anymore. You seem pretty harmless to me." This time she did give a genuine smile. Then, as soon as he Gar got to admire it, it vanished and she turned around. "I think we should get back now. The bugs are starting to come out." She then walked away from the park bench with him in tow. After he was walking by her stride for stride, he slowly stretched out his hand to brush against hers. In response she molded her fingers around his hand so she could hold it.

And so they returned hand-in-hand as they had when they left. Only now there was peace of heart and mind along with a peacefulness that neither thought they would ever feel since they had been reunited.

—

Kori was waiting for Tara and Gar to come back in her room. When they did get back, Gar did not come in the girls' room. Rather, he talked with Tara in an undertone for a few moments in front of the door. Kori could not make out what he was saying, but she was fine with that. No doubt it had gone well if they were able to speak that way unaccompanied. "Good night, Tara." He told her with a small smile on his face. He had not felt this way in a long time. In fact, had he ever felt this good before? For the life of him, he could not remember. All he knew was that it was a welcome feeling after being so lost for so long.

"Good night." She said with a smile, as well. Things had changed so much. They were both grateful they had summoned enough courage to talk with the other. She turned and went into the room she shared with Kori. The redhead had been sitting on her bed, waiting for this opportunity.

"So?" Kori asked the younger girl who was now sitting opposite of her on the bed. Little did they know a certain boy with pointy ears was once more standing on the other side of the door. It was about the point when Tara told Kori, "And then he said—" with a smile in her voice that he decided all was well. He left and went to his own bed. This time he slept with ease. He did not know that that night would be the last time he saw the girl he had only just made peace with.

—Fin—

A/N: Okay, it's only been forever since I posted anything and for that I apologize. I've been very busy with schoolwork and life that it's been hard to write anything. Besides that, I've been having a terrible writer's block. Wonderful, right? Sorry again for leaving the story for so long. Actually, I've been writing this little by little for months. I just finally had it and finished it up. I bet you can tell how hasty I was in ending this particular chapter. Well, review please. I always enjoy hearing from my readers. :D

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	8. Claire Promazine

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

A/N: The predominant shipping in this fanfic is Rob/Rae. However, there has been relatively no interaction between the two of them for the past one or two chapters. Well, I plan on fixing that. *mischievous grin*

Troubled Mind  
—Claire Promazine—  
EIGHT

It was early in the morning, but Rachel didn't care. She was always up by six in the morning and today was no exception. She felt a little bit better now that the Tara and Gar relationship had been eased if not mended. The whole house wasn't as tense as before and she was grateful for it. Perhaps she felt a little too good. She knew she should be trying to control her emotions, but that didn't stop her from doing what she had always wanted to do. Besides, in this world, she could freely embrace her emotions, so why not?

She walked over to the CD player on the far side of her bedroom and turned it on. Immediately a dance song came on. She wouldn't have picked anything else. It was a perfect way to use up her giddy happiness and then resume the rest of the day as if nothing had ever taken place.

It started with Christina Milian singing with no accompanying music.

"_Somebody hit the lights, so we can rock it day and night,  
People gettin' down, that's right, from AM to PM.  
Everybody lookin' like stars, all the chicks and the fellas in the bars,  
All y'all bumpin' this in your cars, from AM to PM"_

The dance music started with a great beat and she found herself swaying along with the music. As the beat started picking up, she started bouncing to the music and rocking her shoulders. She really hadn't had any dancing experience before because her abilities would have released a bunch of negative energy and destroyed the objects around her. But this was different. Her abilities no longer haunted her and pulled her away from feeling emotions.

"_Everybody wanna get down when you hear the sound and you bump the beat.  
Three sixty-five days a year, twenty-four a day, seven days a week.  
Now when you're driving in your four by four and you turn this up on your stereo,  
Whether night or day, non-stop you'll play, and you knowin' you still want more."_

Dick walked into his bedroom entrance to gather some clothes to change into since he was no longer sleeping in his room. Instead of going any farther, he haunted the doorway to take in this rare sight. She was dancing. His Rachel was dancing! He continued to watch with amusement as she danced. He hadn't seen her this relaxed since she had 'woken up'. It was a pleasant change of scenery.

"_So find a honey that's standing on the wall, all the girls get the guys on the flo'.  
From the front to the back let's go, hear this. Whoo!"_

He knew she would rather die than have this secret spilled and wondered how she would feel if she knew he was watching her private moment. Yet he couldn't just stand and watch anymore. After a moment, he realized seeing her dance like that by herself was hard to bear. All he could think about was the loneliness she must be experiencing by dancing alone. He wanted to remedy that loneliness by any means he could. However, simple equations generally had simple solutions. He walked to the beat of the music into the room all the way and, in one smooth movement, slid his hand across her waist and started dancing next to her.

"_Somebody hit the lights, so we can rock it day and night,  
People gettin' down, that's right, from AM to PM.  
Everybody lookin' like stars, all the chicks and the fellas in the bars,  
All y'all bumpin' this in your cars, from AM to PM"_

She paused mid-step as soon as she felt his hand slip across her back at her waistline. He had only done that to grab her attention and move in front of her without alarming her too much. But she was caught. Her private moment was interrupted and she blushed in embarrassment. She had inhaled in order to say something, but even with her mouth wide open, he cut her off before she could utter a single word. "C'mon, dance." He said nonchalantly as he took her hand and twirled her in rhythm to the song. "Yeah, just like that." He smiled that charismatic smile at her and she couldn't help smiling back. She started dancing and he moved closer to her. It was closer than she normally would have allowed anyone near her. However, this man . . . with that smile . . . might just be the only exception.

"_Everybody in the club c'mon keep bobbin' your head now to this song.  
You got the beats and breaks and your body shake, and we're doin' it all night long.  
Any time or place, any place or time, no we don't need no sleep.  
Three sixty-five days a year, twenty-four a day, seven days a week."_

She was dancing freely. She did the twist and he followed. Whatever dance move she did he would compliment it as he improvised. Soon she had relaxed so much that she could dance however she wanted next to him. Correction: make that dancing so close she couldn't help the occasional touch. She soon found out she didn't mind so much. In fact, she hoped the song would never end.

"_So find a honey that's standing on the wall, all the girls get the guys on the flo'.  
From the front to the back let's go, hear this. Whoo!"_

Dick did things like the sprinkler, the lawnmower, and the shopping cart to make her laugh during one of the last verses of chorus. And then their dance was over. They were both breathing a little fast from the previous exertion, but they didn't want to move away so soon. In fact, despite their instinctual urge to demand personal space be un-invaded, they drew closer. Dick's face seemed to gravitate towards his wife's. Before she knew what she was doing, she lowered her eyelids and he did the same. Slowly but surely, he went all the way and tenderly placed his lips on her own in a chaste yet meaningful kiss. It was Rachel's first mutually-consented kiss. However, she wouldn't have given it to any other man. He was growing on her unlike anyone else ever had. And she was eager and scared to find out how far their relationship would go.

He reluctantly pulled back and saw her cheeks were slightly flushed. Maybe he went too far. . . but then again, maybe not. She hadn't pulled away. Instead, she had silently consented. She opened her eyes and blinked a couple times. She looked down a moment before meeting his gaze with a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Coffee?" He asked her. It was still early morning after all. She found herself agreeing before she thought better of it. But then again, how could she resist that smirk?

—

"Here ya go. Coffee, sugar, and french vanilla creamer." Dick handed the items to her. As much as she hated to admit it, Rachel had gotten used to her coffee routine. There never was any tea in the house, but now she didn't mind. Coffee was addicting!

As she mixed the proper proportions, she felt him looking at her above his own mug of coffee. She looked up into his eyes but, even though he noticed her looking at him, he did not shift his gaze. By all means it should've made her feel uncomfortable, but it gave her a warm feeling instead. She finally placed the mug to her lips to take a sip and broke their stare.

Eventually, she placed her coffee mug down and asked the question that had been bugging her. She didn't know what his answer would be or if she should even ask it at all. But, she decided to take the plunge anyway. "Why'd you kiss me?"

He raised a brow at her question. "Am I not allowed to kiss my wife?" He asked her and she absolutely had no idea what to say to that. She merely looked down at her ring-less hand. She had felt hesitant to (technically) wear someone else's wedding band, but they had come to terms with each other more than she had ever dreamed. _Well, maybe I could wear it. Just once. _

Just before she could say anything else, his cell phone rang. He immediately recognized the personalized ringtone. He knew who it was. He sighed. "Sorry, I gotta take this." He said and flipped open his cell phone. "Hello." He said very businesslike and Rachel heard a deep voice on the other line but could not understand anything the man was saying. "Yes. I have time." Dick smiled in apology to her and walked towards the stairs to go to their bedroom. Apparently it was a private call.

However, Rachel shrugged it off. It wasn't her business who he talked to on the phone. In fact, she had other more pleasant things to think about. Like what would happen if he saw her wear her ring. Would he smile? Would he kiss her again? She didn't know, but she wanted to find out. But she couldn't now. He was in their room right now and she had some very addicting coffee calling her name. She smiled.

—

"Gah!" Everyone else woke up to that rather loud exclamation at six-thirty in the morning. It was uncharacteristic for anyone to be up at that ungodly hour during a break (other than the two early birds), nonetheless shouting. Vic ended up in the room first looking rather annoyed at being awoken so abruptly so early.

"Gar, it's six-thirty in the morning. What on earth—" Vic stopped short at the sight of his best friend panicking and looking terrified at his hands as he turned them over back and forth. He did not seem to notice the older man in the room from being so transfixed at the horror of his pale skin. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. . ." Vic said as he had a premonition of what was happening.

"My skin. . . It's not green." Gar said unbelievingly. He pictured a turtle in his mind but nothing happened. "And I can't change. What _happened _to me?" He heard a groan and looked at a black man a little older than him that looked awfully familiar. But at the moment he couldn't care less who the man was. "Where am I? I'm not in the tower."

"Not you, too, Gar."

"How do you know my real name?" Gar asked in bewilderment. "Where am I?" A girl with blonde hair slowly walked in yawning with a tall redhead in tow. However, Gar only had eyes for the girl standing before him in the doorway._"Terra?_" If he didn't believe what happened to his body, he certainly couldn't fathom seeing _her_. The one girl in the world he could and would ever love. She still looked beautiful even though she had a bedhead and her pajama shirt was a little disheveled from sleep.

Tara noticed the difference in behavior and looks in the boy she had only come to terms with the day previous. This wasn't him. "Beast Boy?" She finally asked. No, it couldn't be. . . could it?

"Terra, is it really you?" She nodded in confirmation. "I knew you were alive! I never doubted for a moment you would come back. And then when I saw your statue was gone in the cave and then I saw you at your school and you didn't remember anything and I thought I had lost you. . ." Gar paused from his rambling for a moment as he collected his thoughts. He hadn't remembered ever being this happy or this relieved before. "Is this where you've been?" He finally asked.

"It's really you!" Tara erupted in a smile After imagining this boy rescuing her from this once strange world for so long, she could barely comprehend the implications of him being here. Throwing caution to the wind, she crossed the rest of the room and enveloped the confused boy in a bear hug.

Vic however looked at the scene before him, but was not touched. "Oh, dear God. It's catching." He said. He might have accepted the three girls, but _Gar_? His best friend? One by one something else was taking hold of their lives. But what was it? And would he be the next one to lose his mind?

After a moment of genuine bliss and at first disbelief, Terra let him go and he looked at his surroundings. "Where _is _here?" He asked in bewilderment. He knew he was in a bedroom, but it wasn't his. Sure, it was messy enough to pass, but he knew he had fallen asleep in the tower. Right? Actually, his memory was a little fuzzy about that. . . Why?

To answer his question, Kori stepped forward and took her turn to embrace the boy. "You are in reality, Friend Beast Boy!" She announced and, as confusing as that statement was, Gar had something totally different on his mind.

He didn't have time to question her remark. Instead, he was too baffled by the fact that she was standing in front of him comprehending everything. "Star? Is that you?" Gar asked her. Yeah, nothing was making sense to him. Was he dreaming or something?

"It is." Kori confirmed with a wide smile.

"But you're not all crazy. . ." He paused as he considered what this meant. "Am _I _crazy?" He gestured towards himself as he almost started to panic. Had he gone bonkers? Was that why everything made no sense?

"Beast Boy, explain. What do you mean 'you're not all crazy'?" Tara asked concerned. What in the world was going on?

There was a voice heading down the hall. "Yes, sir." Dick said as he walked into the doorway where he heard other voices. "Yes. Uh-huh." He paused as he listened to the man on the other side of the line. He only had time to raise his left eyebrow as he looked on the unfolding scene before him. Vic looked distressed. Tara looked concerned. Kori looked worried. And Gar looked like he was freaking out. What was going on in there?

And then he heard what Gar was saying. "Well, last thing I remember before I fell asleep, or, at least I think I fell asleep, was Star–" _Star? _Dick thought frantically. _Oh, no. Not now._ Dick cut off the man on the other line suddenly. "Um, I have to go. I'll see you later." He said in a rush and hung up without even allowing the other man to say 'bye'.

"–flipping out or something." Gar continued. "I don't remember much about what happened before that, but–" Dick walked into the room and Gar stopped talking as his eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "Dude! You're not even wearing shades."

"I'm indoors." Dick said flatly.

"But still!" Gar exclaimed in a very un-Gar-ish manner. He was like a totally different person. And maybe he was. "I never knew you had any fashion sense. You usually look like a walking traffic light." If it hadn't been for the very solemn manner of the conversation, Tara would've giggled. In this situation, however, she decided she should keep her mouth shut.

"Don't change the subject." Dick sighed and moved a hand through his jet-black hair. "This is just _great_." He said sarcastically. "I have another _really _important visitor coming and this happens!"

"Wait. Who's coming?" Vic asked in attempt to focus on anything other than the mind boggling and frustrating situation in front of them. Dick looked really stressed out which only caused Vic to be more concerned. Who could this mysterious visitor be?

"Bruce Wayne, my foster father." Dick answered gravely. "He said he wanted to check on our progress before the new semester started. After all, he's paying for most of the rent while we're in college. I couldn't say no." He said solemnly.

"When?" Vic asked almost scared. What would he say if he found the four of them. . . like _this_? He had no idea. Maybe he didn't want to know.

"He'll be here for lunch." He said defeated and shook his head. He just couldn't believe his luck. Or rather lack of it. How in the world was he supposed to explain this situation?

—

Six hours later, Kori, Tara, and Vic had decided to take Gar on a long tour of the park for lunch. Dick had expressed a desire to be alone with his foster father and Rachel, and the other four wouldn't have had it any other way. They were relieved they didn't have to be there when this authoritative figure would be hovering around the house. They felt for Rachel who had never liked to be put on display. However, she was intrigued by this person. She knew Dick and him didn't get along as well as they'd like, but she knew that the other Rachel and him had been close. Dick had hinted that when they were looking through their wedding albums. That also led to a dangerous situation, though. If Bruce Wayne knew Rachel well, would he be able to figure out what was going on?

Dick had decided to take some high-quality sushi and sashimi to go from a family owned Japanese restaurant nearby. Dick knew his foster father liked it and Rachel had insisted that she learned how to use chopsticks when she went to Tokyo. For the moment, he chose to believe her even though he knew she had never been to any Asian country. She had surprised him before and he didn't doubt she would in the future.

So, the time had come when they were finishing their meal and actually had to have a discussion. Rachel had gotten up to put their dishes in the dishwasher when Bruce had brought up a very disturbing conversation. "You're both acting a little strangely." He told them and Rachel was glad he couldn't see her face freeze. "I know you're hiding something from me."

Rachel spoke before she thought better of it and immediately regretted doing so. "H–hiding something?" She stuttered._ Smooth, Rachel. Smooth. Now he'll never think anything's up. _She thought sarcastically.

"You can't lie to me. Not successfully, anyway." Bruce Wayne said without a hint of a smile. Instead, he was stern-faced and dangerously grave. Rachel, who had never been scared of anything before, suddenly felt nervous.

Dick obviously felt the same nervousness as Rachel. But decided to play dumb and possibly smooth things over. "What could we possibly have to hide?' He asked and hoped it wouldn't make them sound even more guilty.

"I have an idea of what it is." Bruce Wayne said as he narrowed his eyes.

"You . . . do?" Rachel asked she and Dick exchanged worried looks. This did not go unnoticed by Bruce Wayne. On the contrary, it only confirmed his suspicions.

"It's all about you, Rachel, isn't it?" Rachel gulped and prepared for the worst. He obviously knew everything. Is that why he was so stern? "You're secret's out, Rachel." Bruce said, but that strictness vanished instantaneously. Rachel panicked. "I can't believe it! I'll finally have a grandchild to spoil."

Rachel looked at him in disbelief as Dick mentally smacked himself. "Pardon?" She asked as she tried to process the words he had uttered. _Does he mean what I think he means?_

Bruce took the signs of her disbelief as she did not want to be found out yet. "You're pregnant, right?" He asked and Rachel about died from embarrassment and shock.

"No, no I couldn't be." Rachel denied, but started to have second thoughts_. Could I really? No, that's impossible. Dick would've told me, right? Right?_

"Well, we'll just have to work on fixing that." Rachel blushed madly as she once again thought of what that implied. Bruce Wayne walked over to Rachel and took her hand in his. "I'm getting old, Rae, and I want to see my grandchildren before I die. Do an old man a favor and please grant my request."

"I'll definitely think about it. Now I should discuss this with my husband." She made eye contact with Dick for a moment before he gestured her to go outside on the back porch. Bruce nodded and let go of her hand.

As soon as they arrived at the back porch and closed the door securely, Dick began to speak. "I'm sorry about that scene before. He feels like he has to dictate our lives as well as everyone else's. And that includes our love lives. Don't worry; I'll never force you." He reassured her.

"That's not the reason I brought you out here." Dick raised his eyebrow in inquisition. _What else would she want to know?_ He wondered and she continued. "I wanted to know whether or not there is a chance I'm pregnant."

Dick blushed.

Rachel didn't take this as a good sign. "_Is _there?" She crossed her arms against her chest and demanded an answer.

Dick rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, it's not exactly the kind of topic I like to start conversations with." He said, but she just looked at him. He wouldn't look her in the eyes at first. "Have you had your period lately?" He asked when he looked up again at her face. She felt the ground begin to crumble beneath her feet. However, she was determined not to give in to despair until she had a definite answer.

"You're evading the topic." She said as she stared him down. "It's a yes or no question." She swallowed as she awaited his reply.

Dick looked down again. This time he was twiddling his thumbs. "Well, we were trying, so I guess there is always a chance of it happening." He shrugged his shoulders as if what he said wasn't a loaded topic. However, they both knew that was not the case.

Dick was hoping she would leave the topic alone after his statement. He was wrong. "When?" She insisted on knowing.

Dick sighed. "Do you really have to know, Rae?" He really didn't want to be discussing this. Especially when Bruce Wayne was waiting inside for them to reappear. For all he knew, his foster father could be listening in on their conversation.

"Yes. It's my body. When?" Once again, she had to know. It was distressing her and her husband noticed.

Dick finally decided to give in and told her. "About a week before you woke up. I don't know when you're supposed to have your period, but I don't think you have to worry. We've been trying for a couple months now and haven't had any success."

"Okay." Rachel said as she relaxed. "Thank you for being honest." She said and gave a weak smile. Now it was time to go inside and face another awkward situation. They just hoped he would take a hint and leave soon. Who knew when Gar and the others would be back? What would Bruce say about their odd behavior then?

They were fine though. Bruce Wayne was not a stupid man. He knew when he had overstayed his welcome. As diplomatically as possible he excused himself, but not without first asking Rachel to think about his request. She had blushed and looked uncomfortable again, but had managed to say goodbye looking relatively unflustered. And, like that, the dreaded visit was over.

—

"I think I owe you something to make up for that horrible scene with Bruce." Dick sighed again. He felt like he had done nothing other than that all day. "He just doesn't know when to shut up. . ." He looked like he was royally perturbed at his foster father. He was just glad that after that embarrassing situation, their relationship had gone back to as normal and relaxed as it could get.

Rachel smiled. It was only evening, but she had seemed to forget all the tension from earlier. "So what are you suggesting, Mr. Grayson?" He chuckled at the way she worded that.

"Well, Mrs. Grayson," she smiled at that, "I propose a movie night." He said and she seemed to be pondering over the possibilities which would ensue, but the truth is she had made up her mind as soon as he had mentioned it.

"A movie?" She asked and he nodded in confirmation. "Which one?" She tried not to sound too eager. She had been enjoying her time with this alternate version of Robin more than she could or would ever say. Did she want to go back to her own world? As much as she hated to say it, the answer was slowly but steadily becoming a no. Why would she when she could feel among other things?

He smiled with roguish charm. "Northanger Abbey." She raised her eyebrow so he explained. "It's based off a Jane Austen novel. It's about a girl who reads too many gothic romance novels and the trouble her overactive imagination gets her into."

"Sounds interesting enough." She said placidly but he could see right through it. She was interested. But whether it was because of the actual movie or watching it with him not even she could decipher. Perhaps she didn't want to.

He made eye contact with her. "You've always loved Mr. Tilney." He cocked his head to the side with that grin she couldn't resist.

"Have I now?" She asked as she started flirting with him. She didn't think she had ever flirted before, but she didn't ever want to stop.

He never once broke their mutual gaze. "Oh, absolutely." He told her. "You fall in love with him every time." He smirked and a smile tugged at her lips, as well. But, after a moment, he motioned for her to sit on the couch as he popped the movie in the DVD player. He sat back on the couch next to her and pushed play.

The movie about a girl named Katherine Morland, or Kathy, who indeed read too many gothic romance novels. At the age of eighteen she was invited to go to Bath with her parents' wealthy friends Mr. and Mrs. Allen. She went and made friends, including that of a young man named Henry Tilney whom she quite literally bumped into (or rather, he bumped into her) at a party. They talked and danced and shared more than one moment together. As the night had unfolded for Kathy and Mr. Tilney, Rachel almost shyly moved her hand it reached its desired destination: his hand. Dick did not seem to object. Instead, he curled his fingers around hers.

The movie moved forward. Kathy and Mr. Tilney had grown closer and she had been invited to his home in Northanger Abbey to stay for a time. They did many things together with Eleanor Tilney, Henry's sister. But it was just the two of them going horseback riding. As they rode out, it naturally started to rain. They raced back to Northanger Abbey, getting muddy in the process.

When they finally arrived, Henry helped Kathy down from off the horse and saw the drops of mud on her face. He tried to wipe it off with his fingers with his thumbs. However, he did not necessarily have to cup her cheeks to do so. Kathy seemed to misinterpret this and thought of it as a show of affection. . . and perhaps it was. At the heart-warming scene, Rachel slipped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder. Would she and Dick ever be like that?

As the credits rolled, Dick noticed Rachel had been so relaxed with her head on his shoulder, she had fallen asleep. He smiled in affection. He didn't want to wake her, so he gently maneuvered her on the couch so they were both lying on the couch. Rachel murmured as he laid her head on his chest, but did not wake completely. She felt comfortable and warm in his arms. He did not have an objection to the situation.

Dick closed his eyes and soon thereafter went to sleep with his wife in his arms.

—

Dick woke up the next morning with Rachel in his arms. He was lying on a couch that he did not recognize. He stiffened. A girl was in his arms. He almost immediately recognized her as Raven. "Oh, God. Am I dreaming?" He said too loudly, waking Rachel up.

Rachel opened her eyes and leaned up so she could see his face. She was stiff from sleeping on a couch and was in an awkward position, so she didn't sit up. "What are you rambling about, Dick?" She asked him and he rolled her over so she was lying on the couch as he sat up.

He fingered near his eyes. "Raven, where is my mask?" He asked her as he tried not to panic. He stood up and faced her.

She sat up in confusion. "What do you mean 'Raven'? How did you—" she paused. "Oh, no." She realized what had happened as much as she didn't wan to. "_Robin_?" He didn't answer her.

Now he was panicking. "Raven, I've got to wake up." He said as he grabbed hold of her shoulders. "We have to wake up!" He finally started to shake them and none too gently. "Wake up!" She blinked once. And then she disappeared.

—Fin—

A/N: Whew, sorry that took so long. I had a deadline I had to meet, so I didn't have much time to work on this. Sorry it was so short and rushed at the end. . . One more chapter to go! I have it all written and everything. It's wrapping up. Can you guess what is happening?

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	9. Hal Dahl

Disclaimer: If I didn't four years ago when I started this story, do you think I do now?

Troubled Mind  
—Hal Dahl—  
NINE

When Raven opened her eyes, she found herself lying on her back on a cot in a room. She was staring at the very unfamiliar metal ceiling high over her. A well-built man was leaning above her, but she felt lightheaded and her vision was a little blurry. It was strange, the vague silhouette of the man reminded her of someone she knew, but she couldn't place the name. "Thank god you're okay!" He said in an relieved voice that she knew well.

"Wha— Where am I?" Raven asked as her vision became more focused. The man had left her line of sight and she heard something on wheels rolling. She assumed the man was pulling something over to her cot. She saw she was in a room with many electronic gadgets and machines. She heard the blip of what she presumed as a heart rate monitor.

The man came back into the line of sight. He had indeed brought a stool over to sit on and attend to her needs. "You're safe in the infirmary in Titans Tower." She didn't know if she wanted to cry or to curse at the world when she heard that statement. "I thought I had lost you guys!" The man said again and she realized who was speaking.

"Vic?" She wanted to confirm who the black man was.

"Huh?" He asked perplexed. "Wait, how did you—" He almost got out the question of how she knew his real name, but was cut off by her.

"No, you're Cyborg." She paused before she could choke out the next few words. "Azar, I'm _really _back." She said in astonishment and paused before she could speak once more. "_What happened_?" She demanded in her no-nonsense voice. Cyborg took her seriously and got right to the point. There was no point mincing words.

"We were fighting Slade." He said with a hard tone and Raven's eyes grew wide in alarm. _Did he send me to some alternate dimension? Can Slade even accomplish something like that? _"He injected some kind of serum in you and you passed out." She prepared for the worst. "He called it dream serum." He said and she couldn't help but have a short intake of breath.

"Dream serum?" She asked and started piecing the facts together. However, she pressed Cyborg to tell her the details he had come to know over who knows how long she had been gone. With his smarts and technology, she suspected he had gathered a lot more data and she would get no where just guessing what had happened.

"He got the others after you one at a time." Cyborg told Raven and she sat up waiting for him to finish his story. "Kori didn't pass out right away, so we thought she was injected with something else. She was mumbling crazy things and was hallucinating. Robin and I forced her to go to bed." Cyborg shook his head as if he was questioning why he had done such a stupid thing. "We wanted to deal with it the next day after monitoring her and see if it was a temporary state of delirium and what we could do to fix or maybe even reverse the effects. We didn't realize at that time she was injected by the same dream serum as you and she fell asleep." He paused and tried his best to go on after much effort. How could he have been so blind? "She wouldn't wake up. We believe that her immune system was stronger than the average human's. That's why she was able to stay awake for so long."

"The others were also injected days within each other. Each one had a little bit of hysteria going on in their troubled minds, but they soon fell asleep and wouldn't wake up. I was the only one left. I had never before felt so alone or so guilty." He paused to put his head in his hand. "But, anyways," he went on, "based on the four of your brain waves, it looks like you were in some sort of a joint dream. The waves were identical. I ain't seen nothing like it before. But this _is _Slade, after all. He was ever one to do the impossible."

"You mean, it was _just _a dream?" Raven questioned and immediately regretted it. She frankly didn't want to hear the answer. She was afraid it would be true and everything she had experienced would have been an illusion. Why did Slade always have to mess everything up so badly and play with their lives as if they were his puppets?

"Yes." Cyborg said gravely. Then he looked her in the eye. Something was wrong. Why was she so glum? Surely it could have only been a nightmare. "Why? What happened?" He asked softly and waited for her reply. To tell the truth, he was on the edge of his seat for the few intense moments she was silent. What kind of unsettling truth would she reveal? What had Slade made her experience?

Raven took a long time to answer. "I fell in love." She looked down and said wistfully. However, she quickly grew out of that as if it were nothing but a phase. "Why am I back?" She asked her 'older brother'. She was as bewildered as she was sad. But regretful? Perhaps not.

"Those nanobots were glued to the cells in your brain, but I finally flushed it out of your system. Took me a good two weeks. These guys were injected after you." He gestured to three cots next to hers with her three other teammates on them. They were sleeping with wires attached all over them. "It'll probably take them another week or so to wake up." Cyborg told her with a sigh. He was exhausted. He had been dealing with this for two weeks starting with Raven and then eventually all by himself.

"And Robin?" She asked Cyborg and he gestured his head towards the other end of the cots. She looked over where he had gestured and felt her head swim. Apparently she was still weak. It was probably from her body fighting those nanobots as if it were an infection.

"He's over there." He told Raven as he briefly pointed. She nodded in acknowledgment and, after taking off the many wires on her body, she slowly got up and walked over to where he was sleeping. It took her a good minute to get there, leaning on bedrails and other objects to support her. However, every moment she spent out of the bed, she felt her strength renewing itself. She always was a quick healer.

Cyborg pulled a stool over to the side of the cot for her to sit on which she sat on for several moments of silence. She was trying to make sense of it all. Finally, she spoke. "His eyes are blue, you know." She said out loud but not really talking to the person next to her. A lone tear slipped down her face which she didn't even bother wiping away and a lightbulb down the hall exploded. "And I fell in love with them." Cyborg put his hand on her shoulder in order to comfort her. She let herself lean into his hand and felt the genuine concern emanating from him through her empathic abilities.

"I know you love him." Cyborg told her after a few moments of relative silence. The only sounds were the blips of the heart rate monitors and other various machines. "I've known that for a long time."

"You knew?" She was shocked to say the least. "But how? Since when?" How could he have known if she had not known herself?

"I knew it when you forged a bond with Robin." He nodded his head toward his slumbering leader. "You might love the rest of us as family, but you wouldn't have done that with Beast Boy, for example." She looked away from her teammate and back to the man who she had come to accept as her husband. "It was confirmed when you were going through all that prophecy stuff. Robin seemed the only person you trusted or relied on. And then you hugged him when it was all over." He shrugged. "Maybe this was a good experience if it helped you realize your feelings."

"But I didn't really _want _to come back." She told him honestly. "I wanted to stay in that world with Robin. Yet it was nothing but a fantasy; a lie." She shrugged as if it meant nothing, but her face and voice related differently. "Fate is a cruel thing." She said bitterly. "Now he'll want to spend all his time with Starfire and not me."

"To tell the truth, Rae," Cyborg told her as he patted her shoulder, "I'm not so sure he loves Starfire. Sure she's pretty and sweet. But she's not the kind of person he would want to spend a lifetime with. He's not all happy and innocent like she is." He gave that a moment to sink in. "However, he's a lot like _you_." At that, Cyborg walked off into another part of the infirmary, leaving Raven to her thoughts.

"Do you know this song?" After a few hesitating moments of thought, Raven spoke to Robin and hoped in whatever 'reality' he was in that he would hear her. Although, she knew it was most likely all for naught. And then, ignoring the fact that things would probably blow up, she inhaled and sang.

"_Don't go changing to try to please me.  
You've never let me down before.  
Don't imagine you're too familiar  
And that I won't see you anymore."_

Raven remembered when she first 'woke up' as Rachel, she had rolled over to find crystal blue eyes staring back at her. He had spoken lovingly when he realized she was awake. He had said 'G'morning, babe' to her with that smirk and kissed her cheek. Raven hadn't realized then how much she would now yearn for physical contact from that man as much as she did now.

Then he had kissed her on the lips. "Aww, how sweet. You're blushing." He had said teasingly with amusement. "I am not!" She had insisted and looked away. Then he had called her 'Mrs. Dick Grayson' and alerted her to the relationship between the two of them in that 'world'.

"_I would not leave you in times of trouble.  
We never could've come this far.  
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times.  
I like you just the way you are."_

And then right before Dick and she had left for Doctor Sarah Quill's shrink office, Raven had experimented with her new ability to feel. She tried being happy and started to tease her 'husband'. When she had expressed that she was wearing makeup in order to prove she was sane, Dick had asked "How does makeup equal sanity?" with that smirk she knew so well.

"Even detective Grayson can't get this one?" She had said teasingly in order to distract him from the task at hand and make it easier for both of them in that tense situation. Besides, it had been fun. She had enjoyed every second of her new-found freedom, even though it wasn't very long.

"Oh, now this is personal!" Dick had teased Rachel back with the same smirk she had grown so fond of when she was a Titan and she had found herself smiling back.

"_Don't go trying some new fashion.  
Don't change the color of your hair.  
You always have my unspoken passion,  
Though I might not seem to care."_

Raven remembered right after they had gotten Tara out of the hospital, Dick and her had come to an understanding. She had asked why he had stood up for her to Doctor Sarah Quill. Raven had noticed he had trouble answering the question she had so much trouble asking. "I always keep my promises." He had said to her.

"Is that all?" She had asked him further. She had been curious and at that time she did not know the feelings starting to develop in her.

"I'm sorry," He eventually told her and she remembered feeling very disappointed. But he wasn't finished. "I've been such a baby about all of this." He rubbed the back of his neck as he inhaled and exhaled. "You're my wife, so I should believe what you say no matter how strange it sounds." She had blushed faintly and then, after summoning all the courage she had, she leaned forward and embraced him. "Thank you." She had said simply and he had returned her embrace.

"_I don't want clever conversation.  
I never want to work that hard.  
I just want someone I can talk to.  
I want you just the way you are."_

Raven recalled when she asked Dick what their wedding was like. His eyes had gotten so soft. "It was beautiful." He had said after a moment of shock. He was remembering the most important day of his life and the one whom he had shared it with. He had fiddled with his wedding ring as he looked down. "I had never seen my foster father so happy or proud before." He paused and she remembered the smile on his face. "He always liked you a lot."

And then shortly thereafter they were looking at the albums of the wedding and reception. She had found out how far back they went as she saw photos from their earlier years in the album. First they were childhood sweethearts, then awkward adolescents, and then more than friends but less than a couple in their mid-teenage years. Finally, she had seen their engagement and wedding photos. Raven saw herself in an expensive wedding gown with her long black hair up in a formal fashion and decorated with flowers. She was holding a bouquet of the same kind of flowers and walking towards her to-be husband with an elegant train trailing behind her. Dick had softly put his fingers on the photo of his wife. "You were so beautiful. . ." She remembered he had said.

"_Need to know you'll always be  
The same old someone that I knew.  
What will it take until you believe in me  
The way that I believe in you?_"

Then she thought of when their relationship really started. It was the day she had danced for one of the first times and she was so glad she had. He had came and danced with her to Christina Milian's "AM to PM". He had done silly things like the sprinkler, the shopping cart, and the lawnmower to make her laugh. It worked. She didn't think she had ever been so happy before in her life. Especially when she had to work at being unemotional to control her powers all the time. It was refreshing and enjoyable. She had not appreciated being in the so-called 'reality' until that moment. Was it all _just _a dream? She didn't know. She hoped it wasn't from the bottom of her heart.

"_I said I love you. That's forever.  
This I promise from the heart.  
I couldn't love you any better.  
I love you just the way you are."_

And then she had woken up the day after to find Dick wasn't himself. Or perhaps he was. It was Robin's arms she had been in. They had fallen asleep on the couch after watching "Northanger Abbey". Dick had been wrong. She hadn't fallen in love with Henry Tilney. She had fallen in love with _him_. She had known that then. She couldn't believe it at first, but then again, maybe she could. Cyborg had said she had been in love with Robin for a long time. He mentioned when she had established their bond a couple of years previous.

"_I don't want clever conversation.  
I never want to work that hard,  
I just want someone that I can talk to.  
I love you just the way you are._"

She finally finished singing their wedding song as he had once sung for her. A couple more tears escaped from her eyes and she almost did not notice another lightbulb shatter across the hall. _Yeah, I'm definitely back. _She thought. Even though she should've been as happy as much as possible for Raven to live in _her _reality again, the thought held no joy. " 'Then I'll just have to have enough hope for the both of us'. Isn't that what you said when you rescued me? I guess it's my turn to hope now." And then she leaned down to kiss his slumbering form.

—The End—

A/N: Well, I think just about every one of my faithful readers hates me now. . . I don't blame you either. I debated for a long time how to end this story. I originally wanted this story to be about how Rachel convinces Dick and everyone else she really is from the TT universe. Then the Tara thing came along. Then I decided I would stick Starfire in and that completely messed everything up. At that point I was going to have them swap places and deal with it. But I wrote the other Rachel didn't have Raven's powers. What a stupid mistake! That completely ruined everything. So, I've been writing whatever came to mind trying to close this up. I'm glad I finally managed it although I really don't think anyone else is ^^'

Anyway, I hope this ending wasn't too predictable. I don't plan on a sequel. I would like to leave this as a 'make your own ending' kind of story. Do Robin and Raven get together when he wakes up? _Does _he even wake up? What will he say when/if that happens? Were the others really in that joint dream? I leave that up to you. I'm sure you can come up with a much better conclusion than I could and faster to boot. It only took me what? four years to finish this story. I want to thank all those who put up with me through the years and continued to read this story.

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


	10. Epilogue

Troubled Mind  
—Epilogue—

Well, there's not really an epilogue. But it's not an annoying note either! So keep reading!

Due to some inspirational comments, I have decided to continue the story. It's a sequel called "Troubled Hearts". I'm about to post the first chapter, so go check it out!

**A preview:**

"Robin. What would you do if you were me?" She asked his sleeping form. She knew he could not and would not answer her, but she felt so helpless. If only he'd talk to her now. It would make her feel so more secure. However, she also couldn't help but wonder if he would feel the same way about her as she did him. Was what Cyborg said right?

"_To tell the truth, Rae," Cyborg told her as he patted her shoulder, "I'm not so sure he loves Starfire. Sure she's pretty and sweet. But she's not the kind of person he would want to spend a lifetime with. He's not all happy and innocent like she is." He gave that a moment to sink in. "However, he's a lot like _you_."_

That whole conversation was imprinted in her mind like a tattoo. It gave her hope and that hope was very precious to her. It kept her going. _Maybe one day after he wakes up we can be together. But would it be the same?_

Before she could think of an answer to her thoughts, a red light went off in the infirmary. The red glow illuminated her surroundings. "Trouble." She merely said and flew towards the briefing room.

A/N: Well, go check it out!

Signed,  
Her Sappiness


End file.
